Destiny
by Revan's Pet Duck
Summary: [KOTOR Spoilers] FemRevan. Chap 18 Up! “These Selkath know their laws,” Canderous noted grizzly. “I suggest we don’t screw up and get locked away.” “I think that’s a given,” Carth added, failing to hide the annoyance at being advised by a Mandalorian.
1. Prelude: Screaming

**Destiny Prelude: Screaming**

"Mommy?"

A girl of only six years stood before her mother, her father, her three older brothers and a human male and a Twi'lek female in brown robes.

"Sweetie, Revan darling, this is a good thing," the mother of the young girl named Revan declared. The woman didn't actually believe what she had just said, she just needed to encourage her daughter. Becoming a jedi would be a better life for her than any farm life on Deralia would be.

"Daddy?" Revan turned towards her father.

"Your mother is right Rev," her father said with a sad smile on his face. "Go on now, they're nice people." He ushered her towards the two jedi as he called them.

Hugging a stuffed animal close to her body, Revan did indeed turn towards the Twi'lek jedi. "Hi," she said shyly. The jedi both smiled. The Twi'lek was obviously younger, a Padawan learner as she was called. The human male was her master. His smile was less welcoming. Revan felt a bit afraid.

"Johnny?" The oldest of Revan's brothers at twelve sadly looked down onto his younger sister. "Johnny!" she cried running into his arms. John Kombi hugged his sister tightly, a tear dripping down his face. They had been close.

Her other two brothers, twins, both nine, seemed to not show any emotions as they looked at little Revan, the only girl of Marie and Baal Kombi. After many years at the jedi enclave, she still remembered their faces as the look of a true jedi. Passive, calm.

Not that that's what Revan was thinking when she cried loudly as she was taken away from her family by the two jedi, dropping her animal as she was pulled by the Twi'lek. She shook her head in anger, her black hair flying everywhere. Her father and mother were starting to cry as they say the anguish in their daughter's piercing green eyes. Then they turned away.

That was the last Revan had seen of her parents.

XxXxX

"You want me to be a jedi?"

Halfway across the galaxy on the planet of Coruscant only an hour later, another young girl, also six, was being met by two jedi. This time it was a short very old jedi, yellow and wrinkled. He had introduced himself as Master Vandar. With him was a young human, a woman, who was wearing blue robes, like Master Vandar's. He told the girl and her father that the woman had just become a jedi knight.

"Yes little one," Master Vandar spoke, his large ears twitching slightly with his speech.

The young girl looked up at her father and cocked her head, giving him a questioning glance. The man chuckled. He looked much like his daughter. They both had the same sandy blonde hair, though the girl's was obviously longer, just reaching her shoulders, and they had the same porcelain skin and ice blue eyes. The only difference besides their gender was that the girl was very short, and the father very tall.

"Sienna, it's not my decision," the man chuckled, patting his daughter's shoulders. "You have to decide if you want to be a jedi."

"Well, I do," the girl named Sienna said, turning towards the two jedi, looking away from her father. "I wanted to be a jedi since I heard of what they were. The saviors of the galaxy, the keepers of the peace." Sienna smiled up at her father.

Master Vandar was quite impressed with the young one's knowledge and serenity in the situation. Most younglings her age were known to kick and scream as they were taken from their homes. But of course, usually the young ones taken for jedi training were under the age of three standard years. Unlike this case.

"So is your decision made little one?" the jedi woman asked Sienna. The woman's name was Atris. Vandar had known her since he himself had taken her for jedi training. She had trained at the temple on Coruscant, and recently taken the trials and passed with flying colors. She was ambitious though. Vandar hoped she would loose some of that ambition and self-confidence, and grow into a more mature jedi knight.

Sienna nodded her head, smiling. "I'm going to be a jedi," she said quietly. Her father smiled sadly and hugged his daughter.

"I will miss you Sienna," he told his little girl, still holding her in his arms. He was afraid he would never see her again. And he probably wouldn't.

"Bye father," Sienna whispered to Liam Vaas as she picked up a small bag of belongings and walked out of the room with the two jedi. She didn't look back. She didn't want to think she'd regret this.

XxXxX

Standing alone in a room, where a large tree sat, growing in the center of sunlight coming from an open roof up above stood a young boy, only six, holding nothing, and owning nothing except for the simply garments he was wearing.

Malak Bilk felt quite alone, not to mention scared, as he sat down on one of the few benches in the room. He hadn't been away from his family for more than a day, and already he was missing them. His combed his small hand through his black hair nervously, wondering why he was standing there. Wasn't he a jedi now? Shouldn't he be in training?

He heard footsteps. If he was listening close enough, it sounded like three set of feet. He immediately stood up, back in the position he was supposed to be standing in. Still frightened, Malak ran his hand through his hair again, his brown eyes darting over to where the footsteps were coming from.

"Ah, there he is," an elderly voice said, as an old and wrinkled jedi master walked into the room, followed by two other jedi apprentices, obviously the same age as Malak, though much shorter than his advanced height.

"You three are the newest additions to our rather wide collection of young jedi apprentices here at this new enclave," the jedi named Master Vandar smiled. Malak almost jumped out of his skin at the sight of this strange teacher.

"Malak Bilk, meet Revan Kombi and Sienna Vaas," Master Vandar motioned to the two young girls standing behind him. The blonde, Vandar had called her Sienna, looked a tad shy, avoiding eye contact. The one with black hair, Revan, was eyeing Malak as though he were an interesting bug. "I shall leave you three for now. All of you report to the council chambers in about ten minutes. This enclave has just begun its path. All the new apprentices will be meeting there soon." Master Vandar left the three six-year-olds.

"Hello," Malak said nervously to his new classmates. Revan giggled.

"You would look better without your hair," she told him. Malak recoiled. He liked his hair.

"I like my hair," he voiced aloud. Sienna backed away slightly, obviously not wanting her hair to be threatened as well. Revan giggled again. "I won't cut your hair Sienna, I like it." The blonde girl smiled. "But I hate yours," Revan said, turning back to Malak.

"Well I don't," Malak retorted defensively.

"You know, it won't be very hard for me to chop it all off, buzz your head and make you look better," Revan offered. Malak snorted.

"I don't trust you," he excused himself.

"Well, that doesn't matter," Revan shook her head. "Come with me, Sienna, I'll need your help." Sienna seemed a bit excited to get involved with the 'fun' as Revan would've called it.

Before Malak could object again, Revan grabbed his hand and pulled him into a room with a sparring mat, a workbench and a few computer consoles.

"Do you think we should be in here?" Sienna asked uncertainly. Revan scoffed. "Doesn't matter."

The black-haired girl dug through the workbench and found what she was looking for. A vibroblade and a razor used for shaving one's face. Malak backed away. "No way! No way am I going to let you do that!"

Revan smiled almost evilly. "Come on, it'll be fun! Believe me, you'll look better without that mop of hair on your head!" Sienna secretly had to agree. Malak might've if he wasn't so defensive about letting that girl near him with a vibroblade.

Before he could leave the room, Revan had him down on a chair in the corner of the room, Sienna grabbed some cords from the workbench and tied his legs and arms to it. Revan giggled again. Malak groaned.

"Now… let's start shall we?" Revan moved towards him with the vibroblade, and he would've screamed if he didn't know how stupid an idea it was.

For the next ten minutes, Revan chopped off as much of Malak's hair as she could. It fell onto the ground soundlessly as Sienna stood back from a distance and watched. Malak certainly looked better without all that hair.

"There, better," Revan finally stopped with the vibroblade, examining his head, now with just pieces of black all over it. She picked up the razor and smiled. "Now just to get rid of the rest."

Malak began squirming, and that's what caused Revan to cut him while she began shaving his head. As a result of such, Malak screamed. "Oh no," Sienna muttered. Revan turned a ghostly shade of white and quickly stuffed the vibroblade and razor back on the workbench.

A jedi knight walked into the room from the council chambers at that exact moment, seeing the tools in Revan's hands. He was a bald man, though still looking a bit young, not very though, perhaps in his late thirties. He wore a red jedi knight robe and a scowl.

"What is going on in here?" he exclaimed. "Why aren't you three in the council chambers? And what are you doing to that poor boy over there?" The knight pointed a bony finger over at Malak still tied up. Sienna silently went to untying him.

"He let me do it," Revan lied. Malak didn't say anything. He wasn't going to let Revan take the full blame. He probably could've resisted more. And it was all in fun. Until she nicked him. His forehead was bleeding slightly, and he had patches of his hair left, that was all now.

"I don't care!" the knight shouted. Master Vandar walked into the room then.

"What is the meaning of this Knight Vrook?" the short yellow master asked. Vrook was fuming.

"This youngling decided to give this other youngling a haircut with the help of this third youngling when they should've been in the council chambers!" Vrook half-screamed.

"Calm yourself Knight Vrook," Vandar said serenely. Vrook took in a sharp breath and stormed out of the room. "Apprentices Revan, Sienna, what were you two thinking when you cut off Apprentice Malak's hair?" The three stared in fear at the master. "I know the healer here gives excellent haircuts, you could've waited." The old master gave them a smile. Revan, Sienna and Malak exchanged glances and smiled back.

"But please, show up when you are summoned next time," Vandar said as he left the room. The three younglings followed him, Malak grabbing a towel from the workbench to clean the blood from his forehead up.

"That was certainly odd," Sienna whispered as they walked into the chamber.

Revan caught sight of Knight Vrook who glared deeply at the three younglings. "I don't think that Vrook character likes us very much," she pointed out.

"Ya think?" Malak snorted.

XxXxX

Hot white intense pain fell over Revan as she collapsed to the ground, still in her full black suit, her helmet on. She had been just beginning to battle with a young jedi name Bastila when… no. No! Malak had betrayed her! Her own ally had turned against her and fired!

_He will be punished,_ Revan thought to herself as she let loose a scream as the pain took over her, her memory fading, and her mind failing. Then there was nothing.

XxXxX

Yes I randomly wrote this up like three months after starting this fic, just after finishing the second story break! Heh, anyways, just thought I'd throw this in. I was rereading Destiny and thought it started a bit quickly. So here's some back story, and of course the betrayal of Malak. XD Enjoy folks! And for you people just beginning this: Have fun reading:)


	2. Escape

**Destiny**

_A Knights of the Old Republic fan fiction_

Disclaimer: Yeah… yeah… yeah, I don't own any of this stuff… and it sucks but I guess I'll live. –sighs- Anyways, all the credit for the lovely characters and the not so lovely characters goes to other people. Not me. Definitely not me.

Anyways, I got bored and was reading another fic and I was a little annoyed at how bloodthirsty some characters were, but that might just be the goody-two shoes of me coming out. Go light side. Woohoo. And all that jazz… so here it is, another kotor fic. Yay. By the way in case I spell anything wrong, don't shoot me. -hides from angry spellfreaks- I have a knack for spelling everything wrong and never noticing. So… here we go! O.o

**Chapter One: Escape**

_There is only darkness. Light is non-existent. Hatred is fuel and compassion is poison. Death is the future, there is no hope. Pain is a necessity. Anger is life._

_Black consumed her, and she felt cold and only cold. But the frigid temperatures were… comforting? Satisfactory? How could this be?_

_She shivered lightly. Her shoulders were bare and her arms were crossed, rubbing at each other. But she couldn't see anything going on; only hear heavy breathing approaching her. It was all her fault too… these mechanical sounds were her doing. But she had to remember her lessons, the teachings she had dealt with._

_There is no hope… pain is a necessity…_

And the ship shook violently.

"Alaanis!" a male voice was yelling frantically through a closed door. There was a hiss and a door opening as the women named Alaanis awoke and sat up in her bed. The man by the doorway, she had seen him once or twice before. But she had caught his name: Trask.

"What's going on?" Alaanis asked groggily. She rubbed her eyes and slipped out of her bed, noticing then that she was wearing quite revealing clothes. Blushing slightly, she rummaged through her small footlocker of supplies and slipped on her Republic uniform.

"Alaanis, we have got to get moving, the Endar Spire is under attack!" Trask said urgently.

"What?" Alaanis called out in surprise as she placed her vibrosword in her belt. She felt the sword slip slightly, slicing a finger. Wiping the blood on her pant leg, she looked up at Trask. "The Sith?" she questioned simply.

"Yes," Trask replied. "But we have got to get moving! We need to find Bastila, see her to safety, and then get off of this wreck!" He began to hurry out of the room, Alaanis trailing behind quickly.

"Where is she?" Alaanis asked as they walked briskly down the hall.

"Probably on the bridge if she hasn't already escaped on an escape pod," Track answered. "There's probably some sith onboard already."

"Wouldn't shock me," Alaanis muttered. She pulled her vibrosword out as Trask opened a door revealing three sith troopers behind it. She swiftly stabbed one in the stomach and then took a fatal shot at his neck, decapitating the victim. Trask took out the other two with blaster bolts to the head.

"Come on, we have to keep moving," Trask commanded. Alaanis rolled her eyes as Trask hurried on. She hadn't even time to strip the Sith of any weapons they possessed on their person. _Oh well, _she thought to herself as she hurried on behind Trask. _There'll be more._

The soldier and the scout continued along the Endar Spire, killing the few Sith that crossed their path, on their way to the bridge. Alaanis was getting a little annoyed that Trask wasn't allowing her to pickpocket any of the dead Sith, or even the one dark Jedi that they had found.

Finally Trask and Alaanis had reached the bridge… to find no survivors.

"Damn," Trask muttered to himself. "Hopefully Bastila made it to the escape pods."

"I think a Jedi can take care of herself Trask," Alaanis pointed out. "She's not defenseless you know."

"Yeah, she's not…" he said distractedly. Suddenly Alaanis' comlink started blinking rapidly. She took it out of her belt and clicked on it.

"Yes?" she questioned whoever was contacting her.

"Alaanis Pi?" a male voice questioned. "This is Carth Onasi. I'm tracking you through the Endar Spire's readouts. Trask Ulgo appears to be with you as well. There is one escape pod left and no other survivors of the Endar Spire. You two have better hurry up if you want to live. Good luck." The connection ended.

"That was certainly chipper news," Alaanis grumbled sarcastically.

"Come on," Trask straightened up. "We had best be off to the escape pods." He hurried off through a different door, Alaanis just a step behind with her hand on the hilt of her sword. Trask was fingering his blaster lightly.

Through a few more corridors they met only one lone Sith trooper. But then there were two doors. Alaanis knew which one headed towards the Escape pods, as did Trask, but curiosity overwhelmed the experienced soldier.

"There's something behind here…" he mumbled. He tinkered with the door and Alaanis suddenly felt a surge of something… of sudden emotion… hate and anger.

"Trask, no!" Alaanis yelled as the door flew open and Trask was suddenly stuck with a red lightsaber. Alaanis gasped and stared as Trask slumped to the floor and died instantly. Her instincts back in full swing, Alaanis switched on her stealth generator, but not before the dark jedi who had killed Trask had spotted her. He flung his lightsaber at her invisible form and Alaanis blocked it with her vibrosword, staying slightly invisible, though her hurried movements revealed her slightly. Falling in step with the technique the dark jedi was using, Alaanis found a flaw as her opponent left his legs clearly open for attack. She flung her feet down at his and tripped him.

With a grunt, the dark jedi fell onto the ground, and with that, Alaanis hurried off in the other direction, closing and jamming a door behind her. She knew she was no match for a dark jedi and had to get away. Now. She switched her stealth generator onto full power and ran past a small group of sith, needing to get through as quickly as possible. Finally arriving at the escape pods, she switched off her stealth generator and stared at a man standing in the corner of the room. That must be Carth.

"Alaanis Pi," Carth acknowledged the woman standing in front of her. "Where's Trask?"

"There was a dark jedi," Alaanis informed him. "Trask didn't survive."

"Damn," Carth mumbled under his breath. "Well, we needn't waste time here. Let's go." He hurried over to the only escape pod still around and slipped inside, Alaanis following and closing it behind her.

"You don't need to tell me twice," she muttered as Carth pushed the ejection button. The pod flew towards the planet of Taris below and though the fall wasn't too quick, Alaanis fell into unconsciousness as soon as she felt the first tremor when the pod hit a tall building… and she fell back into darkness.

**-End Chapter One-**

I'm sorry it's kind of short. I wrote more, but it didn't fit with this first part. So, the next chapter should be longer. XD I hope my story is good enough and please read and review. o.O Adios!

3.26.05


	3. Carth

Eh… no reviews. I'll live. It's only been out for a few days. –hopes for reviews soon- anyways, pre-apologies in case I spell like everything wrong, I'm not currently playing while I write so I usually don't have exact quotes, just similar stuff. Which I like better. XD Anyways… here's the next chapter. Not much longer, again, but you all will have to deal with that.

**Chapter Two: Carth**

Carth Onasi awoke with a start, his hand flying straight for the blaster still in his holster, even as he slept. Of course, it was hard to feel comfortable sleeping on a ripped and broken couch like this. He had never quite appreciated the bunks of the Republic fleet until now. They may not have been luxurious, but they sure weren't as bad as this couch.

Carth sat up, rubbing his aching back, and looked over to where Alaanis Pi slept, not in peaceful slumber, that was for sure. He stared at the woman who lied there. She was obviously not past twenty six, and her hair was a bright platinum color, cut as short as a man's hair would be. Her skin was pale, as though she had never seen light ever in her life. He couldn't see her eyes, now that they were closed, but he remembered the intensity of her bright blue eyes as she felt the first blow of their landing here in the Upper City of Taris. Carth found himself standing over her, watching her sleep.

Alaanis stirred again. Her eyes twitched and she rolled onto her side, tugging the thin blanket that was covering her almost off of the bed. Then her eyes shot open.

"Good morning," Carth greeted her. Her face looked quite fearful. She must've been having one hell of a nightmare. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she muttered lightly, lifting her hand to her head as she leaned up. She closed her eyes in pain. "I seem to have acquired some lovely new bruises."

Carth chuckled "That's what happens when you make a crash landing like we did."

"So we're in Taris aren't we?" Alaanis questioned Carth as she relaxed her eyes and opened them once more. She rubbed her back as she managed to get off of the bed and stand up straight. As she stretched, her back cracked in several places.

"Yep," Carth answered. "The Upper City of Taris to be more precise. In an abandoned apartment."

"Sounds like a home away from home," Alaanis muttered sarcastically. She had heard of Taris. Prejudice and selfishness ruled the Upper City, gangs ruled the Lower City and the rakghouls ruled the Under City.

Carth chuckled again. "Yeah, a real swell place to live. But we're stuck here for now with the sith quarantine and everything."

"Quarantine?" Alaanis asked shocked. "Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that. So we're stuck here?" She sighed loudly. "Oh joy."

"But there are things more important than getting off of this rock Alaanis," Carth told her. "We have to find Bastila. While you were out of it, I heard rumors that more pods crashed in the under city. Though they may have been stripped already, I don't think Bastila would have gone down without a fight. But we have to be discreet. The sith will be looking for us."

"So your plan is to find the invincible jedi, not to scream out 'for the republic' and to somehow manage our way down to the under city with this planet swarming with sith?" Alaanis questioned skeptically. "I think that won't work well."

"Have you got a better idea?" Carth suggested, rolling his eyes.

"Get some help and try not to get killed?" Alaanis said with a small smirk on her face and a hand on her hip. She suddenly seemed to realize that her weapon was not on her. "Where's my blade?" she asked Carth.

"Oh I put it in the footlocker," Carth answered. "Who wants to sleep with their blade?"

"I'd feel safer thanks," Alaanis commented.

"Speaking of your long slumber, are you alright? You were tossing and turning for two straight days." Carth eyed the young woman with concern as she strapped her vibrosword into her belt.

"Just a spot of a bad dream and a few well-placed bruises," Alaanis swished away his concern with a wave of her hand.

"Memory intact?"

"Yes, it just so happens, I can remember my name. Any reason for me memory to not be intact?"

"Well I was hoping you could clear something up for me." Carth watched Alaanis as she began to fill her small pack up with a few medpacs and security spikes.

"Such as?" Alaanis continued to fill her pack up without even sparing a glance at Carth.

"Well what happened on the Endar Spire from your point of view," Carth felt a little odd asking, but he had to know if she was going to be a traitor or if she was trustworthy enough to work with. "I was in no position to know what was going on… but did you?"

Alaanis stopped filling her pack up and looked up at Carth suspiciously. "I was in no better position to know than you were. All that I know is that I woke up and Trask was yelling about the Sith attacking us. Then we killed a few sith along our way to the escape pods and he died facing a dark jedi. Why?" Alaanis stared quite intently at Carth, her pale brow furrowed in confusion.

"Well, I just thought you may know better than I," Carth answered sheepishly. _I just thought you might be a sith spy, that's all._ "I mean the jedi requested a lot of things when they came aboard. Bastila herself requested for you to be transferred aboard. And then only a few days later the ship was attacked."

Alaanis finally seemed to put two and two together. "Are you implying that I had something to do with the attack? I am not a sith spy Onasi!" She sounded outright offended. She slung her full pack over her shoulder and kicked the footlocker closed. "I swore an oath to the Republic just like you. I'm not a traitor." She gave Carth a dark glare. "How should I be able to trust you?"

"You have a point there, trust shouldn't be taken lightly." Carth took a few slow steps back from Alaanis and tried to avoid her gaze but to no avail. "It's just hard to trust sometimes. I hate traitors. And I hate surprises."

"There's a lot of spite in those words Carth, any reason for it?" Alaanis asked quietly, her cold gaze dropping and her eyes showing deep curiosity.

_None I feel like sharing thank you,_ Carth thought to himself. "Just when Revan and Malak betrayed the sith, well, I couldn't help but feel betrayed when these good jedi who had fought with us in the Mandalorian Wars had turned on us," Carth spoke aloud to Alaanis.

"But it seems like it's really more… personal than that," the slim woman pointed out. Damn, was he that easy to read?

"Well it wasn't just them," Carth admitted, carefully choosing what to reveal and what to conceal. "Good men, good leaders betrayed the Republic too."

"Anybody in particular?" Alaanis pried lightly.

"Well," Carth really didn't want to talk about this, but for some reason this one woman standing in front of him was doing a very good job at prying all this information out. Carth had never discussed this stuff with anybody before… maybe it was time to start.

"When I think of all the men and women who betrayed the Republic, the one who stood out the most was Saul. Saul Karath." Carth felt such hatred as he spat the name out.

"Admiral Karath of the sith fleet now," Alaanis muttered quietly, more to herself then to Carth.

"Yeah," Carth replied. "That's him. Saul was my mentor, he taught me when I joined up with the Republic fleet. Shortly before Revan and Malak returned and betrayed us, he came to me and talked about how the Republic was on the losing side. I realize now that he was trying to recruit me for the sith. I was so blind."

Alaanis' eyes had never strayed from Carth during his admittance. "He was your idol. You weren't expecting it."

"But I should've seen through it!" Carth exclaimed. "If I had realized it then and killed him then, it would have saved so many lives."

"You can't blame yourself," Alaanis said quietly. She walked over to where he was standing and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Our teachers don't betray us. We expect them to be perfect. But they are not. And neither are we. But you cannot blame yourself for Saul's mistake." Silence fell for a few moments in the small apartment. Alaanis' presence felt rather soothing, especially with her hand on his shoulder. Once she removed it, he turned towards her and finally spoke again.

"I'm sorry about that," Carth apologized. "I just don' usually talk about my past or Saul much… or at all for any matter."

"Hey, it's all in the past," Alaanis threw him a quirky grin. "Come on, enough chatter, we have to go find Bastila and a way off this rock flyboy." She ambled over to the door of the apartment and with a poke at the keypad opened it.

"Sounds good to me," Carth mumbled, grinning slightly despite himself. He fingered his blasters lightly and slung his own pack over his shoulders. _I wonder what messes we'll end up in here…_ Trouble was bound to be found on a planet like this.

**End Chapter Two**

And here we have Carth conversations in a nutshell… and before any action. Anyways, PLEASE review and such and I'll write more! –runs off to write- But don't expect chapters too soon… I won't be home much this week to write. Adios!

3-28-05


	4. The Upper City

Thank you so much for that review Shadows Run! It was one of the bester reviews I've gotten. XD Anyways, here's another chapter, this time much longer! It hit about eleven pages! I was going to make it into two chapters, but I felt like condensing all of the upper city into one chapter. So here we go! Whee! Chapter 3! Again, apologies if I spelled anything wrong, because I'm almost positive I did. And I hope I wrote Carth well enough. I'm having issues with him when I write in Alaanis' point of view, because he always ends up like Zaalbar… ya know standing in the background, real quiet… but I tried! So… I'm done blabbering; here we go!

**Chapter Three: The Upper City**

Alaanis knew that there was probably more to Carth's history than he'd have liked to reveal, but she didn't want to pry more than she already had. Instead, the two of them would make their selves useful and go on a hunt for Bastila, the 'invincible' jedi.

Jedi were given too much credit in Alaanis' opinion. But she couldn't change that now. _Or ever probably_. But these thoughts were shoved aside as the door to the apartment complex was opened revealing a scene out in the corridor.

"Get up against the wall you alien scum!" shouted a sith officer, holding a blaster rifle in his arms and wearing an evil grin on his dark human face. Two droids flanked him and there were two Duros standing in front of him. "This is a raid!"

":You sith were here just yesterday and you found nothing, why must you constantly search us:" one of the Duros questioned the sith officer. In response, he got a quick blaster shot to the head.

"That's how we sith deal with smart-mouthed alien scum," the sith commented viciously towards the second Duros, as though tempting him to say the same to him. Then Carth and Alaanis were caught in his eyesight. "Humans hiding out with aliens?" Then he saw the small Republic badge lodged on Carth's belt. Carth suddenly realized what he was staring at and he shot Alaanis a sort of apology for being so stupid. "They're Republic fugitives!" the officer announced. "Attack!"

As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Alaanis unsheathed her vibrosword and make a straight plummet towards the officer's side. With a scream, the officer dropped his blaster and Alaanis took this opportunity to make a strike at his other side and then his stomach. Still screaming in pain at Alaanis' sharp blade, he fell silent as she decapitated him at last with a blow to his neck.

Carth easily took out the two droids with shots from his blasters and the Duros placed his back against a wall to stay out of the way of the battle. Finally the two droids and the officer were lying on the ground, beyond repair and life.

":Thank you humans for your assistance:" the Duros muttered.

":I had to fight back:" Alaanis told him in his own language. ":I couldn't just let him kill me, my partner here and you.:"

":Still, I must thank you. I have to take away these bodies before another patrol comes along looking for them. Poor Igealas, he should've never talked back to that Sith.:" Dragging away the sith officer and his companion's corpse, the Duros headed back towards his own apartment.

":Here, let me help:" Alaanis said, picking up the remains of one of the battle droids and following the Duros. Carth picked up the other droid and followed the two of them.

":You are too kind human:" the Duros commented as Alaanis and Carth dropped their broken droids in the Duros' apartment, two over from their own.

":It was the least I could do:" Alaanis waved her hand in a humble manner. ":My partner and I must be off. Good luck.:" And with a nod, Alaanis left the apartment, the Duros locking it behind Carth.

"I hope these aren't as common as the Duros said they were," Carth muttered as he and Alaanis headed down the hall, away from the Duros' apartment.

"Well, as long as we get some new clothes, we should blend right in," Alaanis pointed out. "Maybe sneak into a few empty apartments…"

Carth gave her a pointed look. "You mean steal?"

"Do you want to get caught? We need new clothes. And a few supplies. And I'm not exactly bursting with credits." Alaanis ignored Carth's frown and turned towards a locked apartment. She placed her ear to the door and closed her eyes, listening. It was quiet in the room. It didn't seem like there was anybody present. Alaanis reached into her pocket and found a small clip with which she began to pick the lock. It came undone quickly.

"Hah," Alaanis pronounced proudly. "It's open. Come on!" She called to Carth as she walked into the empty and open apartment. There was a few scattered footlockers inside and Alaanis quickly found what she was looking for: simple garments.

"These look about the right sizes…" she mumbled pulling out two sets of clothes. She threw the larger set at Carth. "You can head into the refresher first to change. I'm going to finish scouring this room."

_In other words, it's time for me to loot the rest of these footlockers,_ Alaanis told the truth inside her mind. She smiled innocently at Carth, who though suspicious, headed into the refresher and left Alaanis alone in the room. She found a few medpacs, another vibrosword, a few spare parts and a couple computer spikes. _These should come in handy._ Alaanis finished searching through the last footlocker, finding a few frag grenades. _Jackpot!_ As soon as she had pocketed the grenades, Carth returned from the refresher.

"Great!" Alaanis smiled brightly, seeing him in pale tan garments that hung slightly loosely, but with his Republic belt (inside out) were tight enough to fit his form. "You look like a regular old Tarisian. Or maybe just another outsider stuck here because of the quarantine." He looked around the room and spotted the open footlockers, his frown deepening slightly. Alaanis' smile widened as she walked into the refresher.

"Don't run out on me flyboy," she grinned at him as she closed the door behind her.

Fifteen minutes later, Alaanis had searched two more apartments, finding a nice combat suit which provided more protection than the plain civilian clothes. Carth really did not enjoy looting all these apartments.

"You're lucky they've all been empty," he pointed out, trailing behind her as she headed for the last apartment in the corridor. "You probably wouldn't have been very welcome if there had been anyone inside."

"Calm down Onasi," Alaanis sighed deeply as she leaned her head against the last apartment. "I have good hearing. I could tell if anyone happened to be inside." She quieted instantly and held her hand up as Carth was about to speak. She lifted her head off of the door and whispered to him. "Someone's in this one." Carth stared at Alaanis to see what that meant she would do. Carth watched, stunned, as Alaanis knocked on the door, like she was visiting a family friend, not a complete stranger.

"Who is it? What do you want?" called a distressed female voice.

"My name is Alaanis Pi and I wanted to see who else was around the apartment complex." Carth rolled his eyes. It was like Alaanis was visiting a new neighbor in a friendly neighborhood. That was not Taris. But for some reason, the woman inside opened the door. Alaanis took one look at the woman and knew something was wrong. She was gripping a vibroblade in her right hand tightly, and her short brown hair hung loosely and messily. Her eyes showed complete fear as she saw Alaanis amble into the apartment, her vibroswords clanking against her legs.

"You're not a bounty hunter are you?" the woman asked fearfully. She gripped her vibroblade tighter.

"No… I'm just a foreigner stuck on Taris with my friend over here," Alaanis said cautiously, waving a hand lightly to indicate Carth's presence. "And who are you?"

"D-Dia," the woman told Alaanis, loosening her grasp on her vibroblade… and then dropping it. "I'm sorry for my um… fears, but you see I'm in a bit of a predicament."

Alaanis turned her bright blue eyes for a quick glance at Carth who shrugged as Dia fell into a chair and sighed loudly. "What happened?" Alaanis questioned. Her eyes turned towards Dia who was staring at the ground, her face in her hands.

"Well," Dia seemed skeptical to reveal anything. But she didn't resist to let her story roll off her tongue. "One of Davik's men, Holdan, put a bounty on me. And all I did was give him a piece of what he deserves. He had had a little too much to drink and began making advances on me, so I sliced him with my vibroblade. Now his pride's hurt and he ran to Zax to put a bounty on me! I've been hiding out all week to avoid any bounty hunters who might want to kill me."

"What a pig," Alaanis muttered. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Dia chuckled lightly. "Yeah right. Unless you can get Holdan to drop the bounty, I'm stuck in here for some time."

Alaanis smirked. "I'll see what I can do." Dia looked up at the strange woman and blinked.

"Good luck but I don't think it'll work," she commented in a defeated tone.

"Doesn't mean I can't try. And I won't tell anyone you're here Dia." With a smile and a bow of her head, Alaanis exited the apartment and closed it behind Carth. Dia's face was stuck in confusion and shock at this woman who would help a complete stranger

"As much as I'd enjoy looting some more apartments," Carth muttered as he and Alaanis exited the apartment complex. "I think we'd better be off and start searching for ways to get into the lower city. We can't get past the elevator without at least looking like sith."

"Well, we can't just walk into the sith base and steal some uniforms flyboy," Alaanis commented. "So we go where the off-duty Sith go… we go to the cantina." Before Carth could object, Alaanis walked ahead of him, out into the bright sunlight of a beautiful Tarisian day.

_I guess we could be stuck in worse worlds, even though the system here is nuts,_ Alaanis thought to herself as she observed the sun shining the streets up. _Like Hoth… or Tatooine._ But she began to reconsider her thoughts as she passed a few drunks jeering at an alien passing by. _Prejudice bantha fodder,_ Alaanis insulted them in her mind. She didn't feel like drawing attention to herself and saying it aloud though.

After walking side by side with Carth (past several Sith patrols that didn't give them a second glance), Alaanis and Carth finally arrived at the Upper City cantina. A sith patrol outside of the cantina didn't even spare them a glance as the two walked into the bar…

And straight into an armored man who grunted as Alaanis slammed into his armored chest. His face was not visible beneath the helmet he wore, but she could feel his glare as she hurried out of that room.

"Always such a klutz Pi?" Carth chuckled to himself.

"Shush flyboy. I was just seeing how heavy the armor was." Alaanis turned her head away so that he couldn't se her blush at her stupid hit. _Real smart Pi… reeeeeal smart._

"Right. Say what you want Alaanis," Carth couldn't keep that stupid grin off his face at the visual of the small woman walking straight into a huge, armored man. "That was a memorable image."

"You can shut it any second now Onasi," Alaanis glared at him, but her eyes were twinkling with laughter. Carth just smiled innocently.

Alaanis' gaze scanned the room, looking for someone that she could say was a sith officer. She expected some of them to come and enjoy a drink on their downtime. And they probably wouldn't be welcome with the quarantine they had caused… and maybe more broody than high and mighty as the Tarisian nobles. Alaanis found just what she was looking for in the corner. He was pretty young (probably only a junior officer) and she could see a small sith tattoo on his exposed arm. Bingo.

"Wait here," she hissed to Carth as she ventured over to the sith in the corner. He was a human and his skin was rather fair. His brown hair fell into his eyes lightly, but the sneer on his face made him appear rather ugly.

"Hello there," Alaanis greeted him. She plopped down into a seat next to him and ordered a drink from the waiter that asked her.

"Hello," the sith replied. "I'm surprised you're over here, talking to a sith like me."

"You don't look like a sith… well, except for that tattoo." Alaanis touched her finger to the tattoo on his exposed arm and threw him a grin. This wasn't much fun… but she knew what she had to do.

"Well I'm still surprised you're talking to me, most of the people here are rather pissed off at us sith." The sneer on his face was replaced with a grin that looked more like a smirk. "But it's just my duty to be here. It's not much fun for us either."

"I'm an outsider stuck here, but I get the point. Maybe it's just the attitude that matters. Maybe everybody else just has a bad attitude." She drummed her fingers lightly against the arm on her chair and gave the sith a quirky grin.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, leaning forward towards Alaanis. "Well, it's been nice chatting, but I have to head off. I have a shift at the base. But a few of us junior officers are having a party later, enjoying the only thing good here, the ale." Alaanis let a small chuckle escape her. _Perfect,_ she thought to herself. _Tarisian ale is too strong for them. They'll underestimate it for sure._ "Hope you can stop by later, in the Upper City northern apartments. My name's Yun by the way." He stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"Alaanis," she replied, grasping his hand lightly and shaking it.

"The party's at nine, hope you can stop by." Yun held out his hand and Alaanis passed him her datapad. "I'm placing the location of the party in here." After tampering with it for a moment, Yun gave the datapad back to her. "See you." He stood up and gave Alaanis a last smile (that continued to look like a smirk) and walked off.

"I'll try," Alaanis muttered as he walked off, throwing a small wave over her shoulder. Receiving her drink from the waiter, Alaanis headed back to where Carth was sitting at the bar.

"Have fun chatting it up with junior over there?" Carth asked, not without the slightest hint of coldness.

"A little chilly are we?" Alaanis commented, raising an eyebrow at Carth. "Anyways, the sith are having a party later and I'm invited. Don't worry," she said when Carth gave her an alarmed look. "I know what I'm doing. Those sith haven't drunken Tarisian ale yet… and once they do they won't know what hit them." Alaanis filled him in on the small talk that happened over in the corner. Carth had to admit it was a fairly good plan.

"But what are we going to do until then?" he asked Alaanis. It was only just past midday, and it was quite some time until the sith party would begin. Alaanis' eyes scanned the room and landed on a vid-screen where a duel was taking place.

"We need some credits you know…" Alaanis mumbled. "Maybe a few duels could whittle some credits into our account…" She stood up and knowing that he would regret this, Carth followed.

XxXxX

It had only been five hours since Alaanis Pi had begun her dueling career as the Mysterious Stranger, and yet she had defeated every opponent that came her way, even the champion of the duelists Twitch. Alaanis pocketed the 1,700 credits she had won from dueling as Carth continued to shake his head violently.

"You are nuts you know that right?" he muttered. Alaanis had practically killed herself multiple times in the dueling ring. Her side had a violent scrape in it from a blade Marl had pulled on her and she had to have Carth as support to keep from falling.

"Yes, but it earned us a good chunk of change," Alaanis informed him. "And I'm still alive right?"

"You're damn lucky to be living Alaanis," Carth commented as she slipped from his grasp for a second. "Come on, we should stop by a medical building. You need some help with that cut."

"I would normally object but as you are acting as my crutch, I don't think I have an option," Alaanis muttered. "It's not that bad."

"Al, you can't walk on your own," Carth grumbled. "I think you need some medical attention."

"Fine," Alaanis said grumpily. They passed by the large and armored figure once again on their way out, but this time he stopped them.

"Mysterious Stranger are you?" the man questioned Alaanis.

"That's me," Alaanis answered, nodding. "And my crutch here, Flyboy." Carth scowled and she grinned at him.

"I'm Bendak Starkiller. You know… the infamous death-match duelist?" the man announced. "I saw you in the ring and you're pretty good, especially for a rookie such as yourself. If you're up for a death match, I'd like to prove my skill against a worthy opponent."

"I think I'll have to respectfully decline you there Bendak," Alaanis replied. "As you can see, I'm injured, and I'm also moving around here a lot. As pleasant as it would be to fight you, I just don't think I'm a worthy enough opponent, especially with this injury."

Bendak backed off, definitely disappointed at her refusal, and Carth and Alaanis left the cantina.

"You could have made some serious credits there Alaanis," Carth pointed out, trying to stick her where it hurt.

"We have enough with all the other duel matches. Plus, I don't fancy being murdered yet. I'd at least want to be murdered doing something worthwhile, not trying to earn some respect and credits." Alaanis groaned lightly as she slipped from Carth's grasp.

"Come on," he said lightly. "Let's get you to the doctor's. That cut has got to hurt."

_It does,_ Alaanis thought to herself. "Not as much as hearing you speak," she teased.

"You do know I'm the one thing keeping you from collapsing onto the ground right?" Carth asked her, guiding her towards the medical facility nearby.

"Yeah… my high and mighty crutch."

Alaanis and Carth arrived at the medical facility just a minute or two later and immediately Carth laid Alaanis down on a bed in the room. The doctor, Zelka Forn, took one look at the gash and raised an eyebrow.

"How did this happen?" the black human questioned Carth.

"Vibroblade in a duel match," Carth replied simply.

"Ah so you must be the Mysterious Stranger everybody is talking about," Zelka said.

"That's me," Alaanis answered, her eyes closed to absorb the pain and let it wash over her. "The crazy, psycho, not to mention completely bonkers, Mysterious Stranger."

"Well congratulations on all your wins, but it seems like I'll have to keep you here tonight with that cut," Zelka informed his injured patient.

"I have to be somewhere in a few hours. I can't stay overnight," Alaanis protested.

"I don't think you can go anywhere with this cut unless it's properly treated… and that'll take most of the evening." Zelka frowned slightly. "I'm sorry Miss, but that's what you get when you have an injury like this. You should feel lucky."

Alaanis sighed, her eyes still closed. She'd have to sneak out at some point. She couldn't miss the sith party and not get whatever sith supplies she could acquire. Carth would not approve, but he knew what had to be done. She opened her eyes and scanned the room.

It was a plain room, like any typical medical facility. There were three medical droids. Two were out of service and the third was bustling around, cleaning up a bit. There was another human man standing by the entrance to the clinic, flipping through some datapads. There were three empty kolto tanks and a messy desk that must've been Zelkas. A few lockers probably held some medical supplies. The walls were a simple grey color and there was one door, which led to… somewhere.

"What's behind that door over there?" Alaanis asked suddenly. Zelka, who had begun to tidy up his desk, knocked a pile of papers off of his desk.

"Oh, nothing… just some old broken things," Zelka said nervously. He was hiding something… that much was obvious.

"Come now, you can share with us. Whatever it is, we won't tell anybody," Alaanis shoved some persuasion into her voice. She was always a very persuasive person… hopefully her skills would come in handy here.

"Er… well… I'll show you two then," Zelka muttered quietly. He walked over to the locked door and typed in a code. It opened and revealed quite a sight. Two republic soldiers, obviously unconscious and permanently injured from the crash landings from the Endar Spire onto Taris, were floating in kolto tanks.

"Wow," Alaanis mumbled.

"I knew that the lower city gangs nor the sith would treat them kindly, so I decided to help their last days be pleasant enough. I couldn't bear to let them die in the hands of the enemy," Zelka stated, still a bit nervous.

"We're friends of the republic," Carth told him. "We won't tell anyone. And you have our thanks for doing this service for them. They may die, but they'll die peacefully enough."

Alaanis had been pretty sure most people on Taris wouldn't care. But obviously Zelka Forn was one who did. "You have double my thanks," she said quietly, smiling lightly.

"You said you had somewhere to be soon correct?" Zelka asked Alaanis. She nodded her head in reply. "I can try and get your treatment done as quickly as possible. It might be more painful though. That gash is rather deep and I don't think it has stopped bleeding yet. But I will try my best to have you stitched up soon enough."

"I can take pain," Alaanis said, nodding her head. "Let's make this quick." She closed her eyes again and took on an indifferent look on her face, not grimacing once during the process of putting her side back together.

Carth had a new admiration for this woman. The utensils Zelka was using were not things Carth saw in most typical medical facilities, and looked to be rather painful. But the peaceful look on Alaanis' face never faltered. She was tougher than she seemed to be.

It was almost nine by the time Zelka had finished stitching Alaanis up. She seemed to be somewhere between sleeping and being awake when he finished. "I'm done," he said lightly and Alaanis' eyes fluttered open. She smiled.

"Thank you for everything." She stood up a bit unsteadily, but after balancing herself once again, she was standing as normal as possible. "You sure did a good job on me."

"I've been in this business for years miss," Zelka explained, grinning lightly. "I can cure any disease. Except one of course." Carth and Alaanis both shot him questioning glances. "The rakghoul disease. There was work on a cure down in a research facility in the undercity, but that was before the quarantine. Most likely the sith have kept it for themselves and their patrols down there. I wish I could get my hands on that cure…"

"If I find some, I will give you it," Alaanis promised.

"Don't go to any trouble on my behalf miss," Zelka shook his head. "I don't want you getting into too much trouble where ever you're going."

"But if I find some, it's yours." Alaanis gave Zelka a last smile and a bow of her head. Carth followed her out of the building. But another figure trailed after them for a moment.

"Hey!" a voice called. "Stop for a moment!" The man who had been at the entrance to Zelka's clinic was the one calling after Carth and Alaanis. "I heard you talking about the rakghoul cure. Don't give it to Zelka. Give it to Zax, at the bounty office in the lower city. You'll get a fortune for it! Tell him Gurney sent you."

"No thanks," Alaanis gave him a wane smile.

"Think about it!" Gurney said. "You'll be rolling in the credits."

"And then only the rich could afford it right?" Carth asked, glaring hard at this punk.

"So?" Gurney questioned. Carth gave him a disgusted look.

"No thanks," Alaanis said a little more sternly this time. Gurney took the hint and ran off back to the clinic.

"Geez, talk about self-interests," Carth mumbled.

"It's expected," Alaanis commented. "Come on. We've got to get to this party. I don't think you can come in with me though. That sith only invited me."

Carth was about to protest before he realized she was right. "Fine," he replied curtly. "But I'll be waiting down the hall. This is in the other apartment building is it not?"

"Yeah," Alaanis answered. She looked up from her datapad and the map. "Here we are. Right in here, fourth apartment to the right." Carth and Alaanis headed into the building.

They walked in silence for a moment. "Wait here," Alaanis commanded Carth. There was loud music coming from a room two to their right. A roar of laughter erupted. "I'll be back within an hour probably. I'm not sure how quickly the ale will take to knock them out. But it shouldn't be longer than that." Without waiting for an answer, Alaanis' blonde head was seen retreating away from Carth and towards the closed apartment door.

"Alaanis you came!" came the voice of Yun, the junior sith officer from earlier. He was holding a bottle of Tarisian ale in his right hand and he threw his left one over her shoulder and led her around the room. "We should have conquered this planet ages ago! The ale is the best!"

"Careful Yun," said a female officer. "This ale has quite the punch."

"Ah who cares!" shouted Yun, very drunk and starting to fall onto Alaanis. "We're not on duty tomorrow. Let's drink up!" He handed a bottle to Alaanis… who poured the whole thing onto the floor.

Alaanis' calculations were way off. It took only a mere twenty minutes before every sith officer was lying on the floor, knocked out completely by the ale. Hurrying out into the hallway, she snagged Carth and dragged him into the apartment to begin hunting for anything useful.

Looking through a couple bags, Alaanis decided to be discreet about what she stole and what she left. She could be easily accused if she took everything. She only took a medpac here and a grenade there. Then in the last pack, she found what they were looking for.

"Yes!" she called out. Carth, who was on the other side of the room looking through another backpack walked over to Alaanis. She held up two sith uniforms triumphantly.

"Perfect," Carth announced grinning despite himself. "We should go. We should get some sleep before tomorrow. We can go down into the lower city then."

Alaanis yawned lightly. "Sounds good to me. It's been a long day." Stuffing the sith uniforms into her pack, she followed Carth out of the building and into the Tarisian night. By the time they reached their apartment complex, Alaanis was dead on her feet and once they were inside the apartment, she was asleep on the bed, getting a better night's sleep, dreamless this time.

XxXxX

Enjoy! Review too please! Reviews make me happier and more prone to post. HINT HINT! Adios peoples! Until the next chapter… um… REVIEW! Lol.

4-3-05


	5. Enemies and Allies

**Chapter Four: Enemies and Allies**

Bastila sighed, trapped in her cage. She was like a mere animal, captured and ready to be sold to the highest bidder. Well, at least she could break free of whoever took possession of her once she was sold into slavery. But she might end up in the farthest reaches of space… with no credits. That would be a difficult mess to get out of.

She wondered back to the attack on the Endar Spire. She wished she could've had a premonition, seen the attack coming, and used her battle meditation. But it was too late to think back on that now. She could only hope that some people escaped…

Like Revan. Hopefully Revan survived. If Revan had died in the attack, then all hope for the Republic was lost. The Jedi council needed Revan alive and unaware of whom she was. She was the key to finding whatever led her and Malak to the dark side.

And hopefully some of the other jedi survived, though Bastila was doubtful. She had felt the tremor in the force as many of the jedi accompanying her died. Hopefully Revan wasn't one of them.

"Wake her guards," hissed a male human voice.

"I'm already awake Brejik," Bastila muttered.

"Ah… so we have snagged ourselves a little republic officer?" Brejik, the leader of the Black Vulkars, a gang of the Lower City of Taris, asked. "No… this won't do for a slave… she's worth more than that." Brejik paced lightly in front of the cage Bastila stood in. He then glanced up at her, grinning madly.

"She would make a fair entrance fee for the swoop race… and when we win, we will win all of the smaller gangs of the lower city." Brejik seemed to have a mad glint in his eye as he went on. "We will wipe out Gadon and the Hidden Beks for good!"

Bastila watched as, laughing like a maniac, Brejik exited the prison cellblock. Bastila sat back down on the floor of the cold stone room below the metal cage she was ensnared in, and meditated. She wondered if she could feel Revan's presence with the force through meditation…

XxXxX

Alaanis Pi shook in her sleep. She felt almost as though a hand had reached towards her and brushed its fingers onto her back. She opened her eyes, wondering if it had actually happened. But seeing Carth's sleeping figure, snoring lightly on the uncomfortable couch of their apartment, she must've imagined it. _Hmm… it felt so real…_

Glancing down at her chrometer, she could tell it was actually not as early as she had thought. She didn't even feel very tired. Alaanis threw the thin covers of the bed off of her and slipped on the combat suit she had worn the previous day. Even after one day of wear, it was fairly beat up, probably because of the dueling ring.

Carth snored loudly from over on the couch. They had to get an early start if they wanted to get things done. Alaanis giggled as she chucked one of his boots at him and hurriedly lay back down in the bed. She knew it was immature, but the event presented itself so perfectly.

"Wha-?" Carth muttered as he blindly sat up on the couch quickly, his back making an unpleasant sounding crunch. "Ow!" he howled. "Alaanis!"

"What are you waking me up for?" Alaanis asked with a yawn, pretending to have just woken up.

"You threw my boot at me!"

"I've been asleep, and I don't sleepwalk Onasi."

"I know you threw my boot at me!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Stop being so immature flyboy and let's get a move on." Alaanis couldn't keep a straight face anymore and burst out laughing.

"Oh and I'm immature," Carth grumbled as he picked up the boot that was thrown at him earlier and put it on. "But you're right. Let's go Pi."

"Roger that captain." Alaanis mock saluted Carth.

"Very funny."

"I thought so."

After collecting together all of their supplies, Alaanis was surprised to find how much gear they had. "I guess looting apartments paid off eh flyboy?" she boasted.

"Yeah, shut up." Carth was extra grumpy after Alaanis' wonderfully mature act of kindness. But he helped her get everything ready quickly enough. Then they had to get into the sith uniforms.

Alaanis went first. To make Carth finally get out of his bad mood, Alaanis ended up being much too small to fit into her uniform until she realized that it was the one she swiped from Yun. She growled at Carth who was rolling with laughter at her and picked up the other uniform.

Ten minutes later, both Carth and Alaanis were indistinguishable from the sith, besides the bag that Alaanis had slung over her shoulder. But it didn't matter; she had spotted a few sith carrying bags not so different from hers down to the lower city when they first scouted out the elevator.

"Going down into the lower city?" asked the sith patrol guarding the elevator.

_No, we're hijacking this elevator to fly us to Hoth,_ Alaanis thought to herself. "Yes," she replied to the sith simply.

"I don't envy you," the patrol said earnestly. "Those swoop gangs down there will shoot at anyone, even us!"

"Crazy," Alaanis muttered, shaking her helmeted head lightly.

"Good luck down there. You'll need it."

With a nod of their heads, Carth and Alaanis went into the elevator and headed down into the lower city.

"These uniforms smell horrible," Alaanis commented, ripping off the helmet of hers.

"Well considering how much those junior officers drank, I'm not surprised. I expected stains of every sort in these," Carth muttered. Alaanis blanched at the thought.

"Lovely flyboy. Let's get out of these things." Both ripped off the uniforms, exposing them back to 'regular outsiders stuck on Taris.' How they would attract attention in the Lower City…

":You are not Vulkars! Attack:"

The moment the elevator door opened into the Lower City, Carth and Alaanis found themselves standing behind three dead corpses (two humans and a rodian). All three bore the colors of a certain swoop gang. Obviously not the 'Vulkars'.

"Great… a welcoming party," muttered Carth as he cocked his blaster and aimed. Alaanis unsheathed her vibroswords and began slicing the nearest attacker. With a slice of his neck he was dead and Alaanis turned towards another with great momentum slipping her vibrosword right through his stomach. A knock to his head with the handle broke him down. Carth was busy on his own trying to shoot through the energy shield the third attacker was donning. Alaanis gave him a hand… and chopped off the arm of the opponent wearing the shield.

"Did you realize how gruesome seeing you fight with those swords is?" Carth asked his companion as he shot the screaming attacker in the head.

"Very bloody I'm guessing," Alaanis said with a smirk. "But they get the job done quicker. And those cheap energy shields don't stop me. I'm guessing one of the gangs owns these guys. I wonder if they're all this way."

"I wouldn't be shocked. They seem to fight first and ask questions later." Carth leaned down and took the energy shield off of the severed arm lying on the ground. "Yuck. That's just nasty. Try not to butcher our enemies anymore will you?"

"I can't make any promises," Alaanis replied winking. She gave him another smirk and led him into an apartment complex across from the elevator. Carth swore he could hear her muttering about more looting. He sighed.

The first three apartments were occupied and strangely enough Alaanis avoided them. But the few after that she did in fact loot. Carth couldn't fight against her though after deciding that the armor that Alaanis had found would probably come in quite handy. The last two apartments were the interesting ones though.

"This one… is occupied," Alaanis muttered as she laid her head against the durasteel door, her eyes shut loosely. Suddenly her eyes shot open and she had a glazed look on her face for a moment. Then her eyes shut again and she shuddered, leaning away from the door.

"What is it?" Carth questioned concernedly. What a strange reaction.

"I… I saw something," Alaanis whispered. Her face looked slightly curios, but mainly frightened. "A poster of a bounty for some woman… I forget her name it started with an S or something. And her picture. And then I saw you and me… in front of the woman from the poster. And… we were killing her. Brutally."

Carth furrowed his brows. This was just strange. "It sounds like… a premonition. But… nobody but jedi have the ability to see the future. Or at least, non force-sensitive races." Alaanis gave him a look, obviously inquiring how he knew such things. "The month on the Endar Spire ended me up with a lot of jedi. I picked a few things up."

"Lovely," Alaanis mumbled, still shaken by the vision. "I guess that means we should go into this apartment… and see what happens."

Alaanis picked open the door and soon enough they were facing a woman in full body armor holding a large blaster rifle.

"What do you want?" she asked in an enraged husky voice.

Alaanis looked confused. "I… don't know. I think I'm here to kill you."

"Here to kill me?" The woman laughed. "Nobody simply kills me! I'm much harder to kill than your average bounty hunter. Of course, obviously, with the bounty on my head I'm sure you know of, the tables have been turned. And I like it that way." A bloodthirsty look appeared on the woman's face and she lifted her blaster rifle.

Alaanis just stood there, staring at the woman with a look in her eyes that made Carth shatter. She looked so… pitying. Like she didn't belong in a battle like this. A duel between two rampaging war-mongering warriors. Because that wasn't who Alaanis was.

But standing like that and looking that way wouldn't change what their enemy was doing. She began shooting her blaster rifle, and though Alaanis dodged most of the bolts expertly, one snagged her in the ankle. That's when her face changed. And she took on the face of a serene warrior. No, not a warrior, someone with a bigger purpose than that, but knowing that she had to do simple things like this.

_Her destiny is bigger than this_, Carth thought to himself. He only wondered what it was.

But he had to keep his head. Blaster fire whistling this way and that from both ends and Alaanis' blades whizzing everywhere, their opponent was soon dead. Alaanis face had achieved a hard look on her face.

"I think she knew she was going to die soon," she said quietly. "She was a warrior, and they never think past tomorrow."

"Come on," Carth ushered. "There's one more apartment to loot."

"Speaking of which…" Alaanis leaned down and searched the bounty hunter's pockets, coming up with a few nice finds including a few choice explosives and a nice chunk of credits.

Alaanis stood back up and walked to the last apartment where she leaned her head once more. "This one is occupied too… but I think he needs help." Before Carth could say anything, Alaanis had sliced open the door and inside was a green Twi'lek.

":What are you doing in my hideout:" he exclaimed, looking rather angry and frightened at once.

"I'm not here to scare you… or collect any bounties," Alaanis told the green Twi'lek, making him look utterly surprised and relieved.

":You… you aren't? Well… I know it's a bit presumptuous, but could you help me perhaps:" he asked simply, looking desperate.

"What do you need?" Carth asked skeptically.

":A permacrete detonator:" the Twi'lek replied. ":And a body to go back to Zax and told him they killed me.:"

"Faking your own death?" Alaanis questioned simply.

":Yes. I am Matrix, and I sort of… snitched on a few Exchange members. I left the Exchange. I used to work for them but then I realized how wrong it was. I went to the authorities and received my freedom at the expense of others. I feel bad about it, yes, but I feel worse about having a bounty on my head:"

"Well, luckily enough, we happen to have a permacrete detonator courtesy of a bounty hunter we managed to hunt down ourselves." Alaanis pulled the device out of her pocket and handed it to Matrix. "You know how to set this?"

":Yes I do ma'am:" Matrix replied, nodding his head. ":Get out of my room and I will follow momentarily.:" He set together the explosives and followed Carth and Alaanis out of the apartment. About five seconds later, the room exploded.

":Thank you for your explosive. I must hurry off now and hopefully find a new hiding spot until I can get off planet. Dead bodies are not supposed to be walking about…:" And with that Matrix ran out of the complex, leaving Carth and Alaanis behind.

"I wonder where we are supposed to go from here," Alaanis wondered aloud. "We need allies down here and it's hard to find some when there's gangs that want to murder everybody about."

"We need somebody who knows about these things," Carth suggested. "Perhaps the locals in the cantina might know a bit more about the gangs and if any are friendly to people like us."

"You mean Republic Fugitives?" Alaanis pointed out.

"Exactly."

XxXxX

"I know all about the Lower City, every nook and cranny of it, every gang and crook."

Carth and Alaanis were in the lower city cantina in the company of none other than a teenage Twi'lek and a Wookie. _What an odd pair…_ Alaanis thought to herself.

"So do you know who the Vulkars are?" Carth asked the small Twi'lek girl, whose name was Mission. The Wookie was named Zaalbar.

"Ugh, yeah I know them," Mission groaned. "Brejik, their leader, was first in line to be the next leader of the Hidden Beks, one of the biggest gangs in the lower city. Gadon Thek, who is the leader of the Hidden Beks, was in a swoop accident and his eyes were replaced with less efficient replacements. Everyone thought he was going to name Brejik as the new leader at that point, but he didn't. So Brejik decided to leave the Hidden Beks and gathered together some support, saying that Gadon was a useless old man. He joined and took over the Black Vulkers, probably the most vicious gang in the lower city. They attack almost everyone but their own on sight and even have the nerve to challenge Davik, even if everybody wants to."

"You know quite a bit about these matters," Alaanis pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I've lived down here all my life and the Hidden Beks are almost like family to me. Gadon is really a great guy and I can't stand Brejik for betraying him like that." Those blue Twi'lek's eyes donned a spiteful appearance.

"Who's Davik exactly?" Carth questioned suddenly.

"He's the big honcho of the Exchange in this part of the galaxy," Mission answered simply. "Ya know, the guy who runs the business of bounties, slaves and spice."

"Hmm," Carth muttered.

"So this gang war that's going on…?" Alaanis asked.

"…Is Brejik's fault completely," Mission said flatly. "He is trying to take over all of the gangs of the Lower City from the Hidden Beks down to the Poison Kulls. The big leading gangs that can fight him fiercely to the little guys who have no choice. He's hoping to win the upcoming swoop tournament to win support. He's got quite the entry fee too… a female republic officer!"

Carth tensed next to Alaanis. The cogs in her mind began working as well. Republic slave… no it couldn't be… Bastila?

"Who do you know can help us win that prize?" Alaanis sputtered out. Mission gave her a look.

"What do you want with a republic officer?" Mission asked, tossing her head to one side.

"Business," Alaanis said.

"The Hidden Beks would probably help you… if you're not associated with the sith that is…"

"Thanks Mission. Carth and I need to head out now though." Alaanis stood up from her seat at a table and bowed her head in goodbye. "Bye Mission, perhaps we shall meet again? Bye Zaalbar."

"Bye," Mission imitated and Carth shot them both a wane smile as he followed Alaanis. Before leaving the cantina however, Alaanis had a stop to make. Well, two.

They stopped in a room where holograms of Twi'leks were dancing and a man was drooling all over himself. Alaanis took on an appearance of disgust. Carth himself was quite disgusted as well.

"Holdan?" Alaanis asked the man who turned around towards her quite quickly.

"These holograms are quite the entertainment," the man said. "Though of course alien girls aren't my type of thing. How about you?"

Alaanis was cringing on the inside. She felt like disconnecting a few things with her vibroswords right now. But she had business to attend to.

"I want you to take the bounty off of Dia. It was self-defense and plus, by you placing a bounty you are embarrassing yourself, making you look like a wimp who couldn't handle a woman yourself." Alaanis shot him a hard and cold glare and a pure look of disgust. Behind her, Carth was smirking at her spunk.

Holdan looked shocked to hear someone speak to him like that. But then realization hit him. "You're right. I am embarrassing myself. I'll take the bounty off. You can tell Dia that it's off all right? It's not my fault she's quite a good piece of work."

Alaanis rolled her eyes as Holdan stalked out of the room and into Zax's bounty office to call off the bounty. She followed him and as soon as he was done talking to Zax the hutt, she stepped forward.

"I would like to collect a few bounties," Alaanis informed the large slug.

":Which bounties:" Zax asked.

"Matrix the Twi'lek and Selven the bounty hunter," Alaanis said.

":Ah… yes I had heard of their deaths not an hour ago. Matrix's was quite messy… was he that hard to kill:" Zax began putting together a small stack of credits.

"An explosion finished the job easier." Alaanis shrugged.

":Well here are six hundred credits, the normal price for two bounties.:" Zax handed Alaanis the small stack he had put together.

"Thank you Zax," Alaanis bowed her head slightly and she and Carth left the bounty office and the cantina.

"I wonder where the Hidden Bek base is…" Alaanis thought aloud once they were back on the streets of the Lower City, walking this way and that, hunting for help.

"What do you want with the Hidden Beks?"

Alaanis and Carth snapped their heads around. Carth cringed as his cracked. Behind them was a slim yet fit black woman looking aged but not withered by constant war. She was holding a rather large sword and staring accusingly at Carth and Alaanis.

"We need Gadon's help," Alaanis told the older woman. Alaanis received a look in response.

"We were told to see him by Mission Vao," Carth threw in. The woman eased her expression a bit and turned her gaze to Carth.

"Mission you say?" the woman asked. Carth and Alaanis both nodded. "Well… Mission is almost a Bek herself. I guess if she has okayed you then you're welcome enough to enter the base. It's not like you could hurt Gadon in the center of his base. Especially with Zaendra watching you."

Alaanis smiled gratefully as the woman led them to a large door and tapped in a security code.

"Thank you for your assistance," Alaanis said politely as she and Carth entered the base. The older woman shot her a wane smile and locked the door behind them.

The Hidden Bek base was what Carth had basically expected. Packaging crates filled with everything from spice to swoop parts were lying around, dozens of Beks wearing their gang color were talking, relaxing, working and carrying the crates around. This was the main hall of the base, and at the very back was a desk where a man who has reached his prime and a slightly younger Twi'lek with a determined look were standing. They were conversing in low tones as Alaanis and Carth approached them.

"Who're you?" asked the Twi'lek with the most suspicious gaze ever on her face. This must've been Zaendra.

"My name is Alaanis Pi and this is Carth Onasi," Alaanis told her. "We were referred to come here by Mission Vao. We need the help of Gadon Thek?"

The man gave her a quick and piercing look before donning a much less suspicious look. "Mission sent you did she? Well… I guess any friends of Mission are people I can trust."

"Gadon you can't be so trusting!" exclaimed Zaendra. "They could be working for Brejik, or worse the sith!"

"We're not with the Vulkers or the sith, we can guarantee that ma'am," Carth put in.

"Zaendra calm down, I think these off-worlders have an agenda of their own," Gadon said. He looked more closely at Alaanis and chuckled lightly. "I don't think she would fit in with the sith solider requirements."

"They might be spies! They could be working for the sith!"

"If the sith were to attack us, they would send a battalion or troops, shoot everyone and then ask questions to the dead corpses," Gadon grinned. "Like I said, I think they have their own reasons for visiting us."

Carth was stifling laughter from seeing Zaendra so infuriated. Finally she exhaled and groaned. "You can speak to Gadon then."

"I thought we already were," Alaanis muttered under her breath so that Zaendra couldn't hear her. Carth had to work harder to keep his laughter in check.

"But if you make one wrong move, you'll be down faster than you can say Vulker spy!" Zaendra threatened. She gave them wary glares as she carried a pile of papers from the desk and headed off through a back door.

"Now… what do two off-worlders want with a swoop gang leader like me?" Gadon asked Carth and Alaanis once Zaendra was gone.

"Mission told us that a female Republic officer was up for dibs in the upcoming swoop race," Alaanis replied. "We need to free that Republic officer. Or in other words, we need to win her."

"And you want me to help you there," Gadon concluded. "Well… I have a proposition for you."

"Go on," Alaanis raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

"I could sponser you as a Hidden Bek for the upcoming swoop race. It's in four days, enough time for you to do a task for me to prove that you're on our side." The swoop leader gave both Alaanis and Carth looks that told him that they better not double-cross him. "Us Beks were working on a prototype swoop accelerator that would help our swoops go faster. But of course, Brejik and his Vulkers snatched it about a week ago to guarantee their win. I need you to steal that back from him. Once you return the accelerator, I will sponsor you in the race. Have you ever raced before?"

Alaanis scrunched up her face in concentration. "Once or twice when I was younger," she shrugged. "Nothing too serious. But I did win every time."

Gadon chuckled lightly. "Well, you have the look of a racer about you, I think you'd do just fine. And if you don't win but the Beks do, I will strike up a deal with you somehow for you to get your Republic Officer back. Us Beks don't believe in slavery, unlike the Vulkers."

"So we steal the accelerator… how?" Carth questioned. He didn't expect the Black Vulkers to leave their doors open to off-worlders.

"The front door of the base is locked up tight. And there's no point in searching for your Republic officer, she's probably locked away somewhere safe until the big race." Gadon sighed, thinking inwardly about how Carth and Alaanis could get in. Zaendra walked out of the back door with a new stack of papers and Gadon sat down in his seat, thinking a bit.

"You could get into the base from the secret entrance in the sewers. You'd have to go through the Undercity of course, and it would probably be a suicide mission considering you don't know the area." Gadon sighed again. "Hm… I didn't want to come to this, but I think you might end up having to ask Mission herself to be your guide."

"Mission!" Zaendra exclaimed, knocking a few of the papers off of Gadon's desk. "You can't be serious Gadon! She's just a kid!"

"She's tough Zaendra, she can hold her own, especially with Zaalbar around," Gadon pointed out. "If you don't find her in the Lower City streets, I'd expect looking for her in the Undercity or the sewers. But you can't get down there on your own. Unless you have sith authorization papers that is." Gadon shot Alaanis a look. She shook her head. "Well… how did you get down here from the Upper City?"

"Sith uniforms," Alaanis answered.

"Let's make a trade them. Your uniforms for my papers. You can't get down into the Undercity with just uniforms." Gadon looked at Alaanis and she nodded her head.

"It's a deal," she told him, pulling out the two uniforms from her oversized bag. Gadon set them in a bag behind his desk and ruffled through some papers on his desk under he found the ones he was looking for. He handed four sheets of paper to Alaanis.

"Two sets of authorization papers," he said. "These should get you into the Undercity, and back into the Upper City."

"Thanks," Alaanis said, handing Carth one set of papers and folding one set herself to place in her pockets. "Don't worry Gadon, we'll get that accelerator. We're not double-crossers."

"I'm glad to hear that," Gadon commented with a light smile on his lips. "Allies?" he held out a calloused hand for Alaanis to shake.

She grasped it with her delicate own hand. It was surprising how that small and gentle hand could've held the hilt of a vibrosword that hacked away her enemies. He wondered how glad Gadon should be that she was his ally and not his enemy.

"Allies."

XxXxX

Yes! Yay! –celebrates- Finally finished this chapter. I had been like three quarters of the way done for like a week now but I never got around to writing the conversation with Gadon. But now its set and done. Yes! By the way, I'm sorry if I got way too contemplative on the battle with Selven thingy. But rereading it, I rather liked Carth's thoughts on that. So, anyways, review like crazy PLEASE because I love reviews… though I must not have much love lol. Except for Shadows Run. XD You deserve lots of doggy biscuits for those reviews. Anyways, next chapter, we get to meet up with Mission and Zaalbar, visit the Undercity, the sewers, and of course the Vulker base. I'm not sure if the swoop race will be condensed in the next chapter or not. Anyways, adios peoples! Enjoy! And until next time, pet your ducks!

4-21-05


	6. Deeper Down

Renewed Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. This. I think I'll throw in one of these every five chapters or something, just for the heck of it. I wonder how much it would cost to own knights of the old republic... -daydreams-

Random Pre-Author's Notes: Ah, so, I've probably spelled half this stuff wrong, and if it wouldn't hurt anybody, I could use a beta reader, ya know someone to bounce ideas off of, to read and edit chapters before they go up... just email me if ya can help me out. Not, on with the story, more authors notes after the chapter...

XxXxX

**Chapter Five: Deeper Down**

"It costs to ride our elevator!"

Alaanis Pi and Carth Onasi both raised an eyebrow at the two grown men standing in front of them as they stepped out of the turbolift. Both men were wearing filthy rags as clothes and their faces were smeared in the dirt of the Undercity.

"I can't believe this planet, even the beggars are trying to shake us down!" Carth exclaimed quietly. Alaanis shook her head in agreement.

"Five credits!" one of the grimy men cried. "It costs five credits to ride our elevator!"

"Fine, just take 'em and buy yourselves some clothes," Alaanis told them, throwing them a credit chip. Carth turned his gaze to her.

"You just love giving away credits don't you?" he asked her. "We might need them!"

"We have plenty from all the bounties and the dueling ring flyboy," Alaanis responded. "I mean those men had nothing, a few credits helps them, even if it's just a bit. And it's only five credits."

"Whatever you say beautiful," Carth muttered.

"What did you call me?" Alaanis asked him with raised eyebrows. "Are you flirting with me Mr. Onasi?" she smirked and shot him a look.

"Just habit," Carth said shrugged. "Would you prefer a different name?"

"I thought my name was Alaanis Pi, not Miss Beautiful Chick," Alaanis pointed out, hands on her hips. "It's obvious that Carth Onasi is a fake name for Sexist Gammorean Mama-Lover."

"Ouch, that was harsh," Carth said laughing. He faked being sliced by her vibrosword and elegantly fell to the ground. Alaanis rolled her eyes.

"You got what you deserve," she smiled sweetly. Then she pulled out her vibrosword and held it menacingly at his throat. "Do you think you deserve this?"

Carth's eyes got stone cold and Alaanis knew immediately she had said the wrong thing. "Maybe I do…" he mumbled under his breath, standing up, walking off and with him went Alaanis.

"What did you mean by that?" Alaanis asked him quietly as they walked around the dirtiness of the Undercity. "Are you talking about Saul?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Carth replied tersely, never sparing a look for Alaanis.

"You have to tell me Carth," Alaanis said, stepping in his path of walking. He glared at her and walked around.

"No I don't, I don't answer to you Pi," Carth announced, his voice never losing the iciness.

"But we're working together on this," Alaanis told him. She hurried to keep up with his strides. "I want to be able to talk comfortably with you Carth. We're partners in this."

"Listen sister you wouldn't have been alive if it wasn't for me!" Carth exclaimed.

"The same thing could be said for me," Alaanis shouted. A lot of the outcasts of the Undercity were staring at the pair with interest.

"I don't have to tell you all about my life!"

"Why won't you though Carth? There's no reason for you to not talk to me." Alaanis stared at his brown eyes with her own shocking blue ones. He seemed to be undergoing an internal battle of whether to tell her or not. He finally sighed.

"Fine," Carth said resigned. "I'll tell you." They walked over to a pair of plasteel cylinders to sit on. The outcasts had mostly stopped staring by now. Alaanis shot Carth a look while he fidgeted seeming to try and find what he was trying to say.

"You see, I never talk about these things. To anyone," Carth began. "But you have heard of the destruction of Telos correct? Well, that was my homeworld. I had a wife and a kid there. Right after Revan and Malak returned from wherever they went after the Mandalorian Wars, they bombed Telos. But it's not easy task. Saul helped them. He turned traitor on the Republic by giving them the codes to bypass our security. I could've stopped him. Remember when I told you he was trying to recruit me for the sith? That's when I could have stopped him. I could have stopped it all. And for that I deserve to die."

"Do you really believe that?" Alaanis asked him, her eyes moments ago full of playfulness now full of sympathy. _Poor Carth, no wonder he's so distant. Wait a minute… wife and kid? What happened to them?_

"Yes I do believe that," Carth answered, turning his face away from hers. "Malak and Saul deserve to die for what they did. Revan got what she deserved when she died. But I still deserve death for being so stupid."

"Revan was a woman?" Alaanis asked sidetracked.

"Yeah," Carth answered. "After her death they revealed a lot of holovids on her. They dug into the Jedi computer system for pictures. Most of them were back in the Mandalorian Wars or even before then, but she was a woman all right."

_I like the idea of a sith lord being a woman rather than a man,_ Alaanis thought to herself. _Anyways…_ "What happened to your wife and kid?" Alaanis asked tentatively.

"Morgana died in the attack," Carth said sorrowfully. His eyes were staring down at the ground with the deepest sadness. Alaanis couldn't help but feel depressed too. "I held her when she was dying. We never found Dustil, my son's, body. He was presumed dead. If he wasn't then, he probably is by now."

"I'm sorry Carth," Alaanis said reassuringly. She placed a hand on Carth's back to try and soothe him. They sat there for a few minutes with Carth staring at the ground, thinking how he deserved death while Alaanis tried her best to keep him from those thoughts. Then a young outcast woman ran over to them.

"I'm sorry to possibly annoy you," the woman asked. She couldn't have been past nineteen. "But you're from the upworld aren't you?"

"Yes," Alaanis responded with a light smile. "We are."

"I've never been up there before," the woman smiled sadly. "I was born down here like my mother and father. My grandparents were from the upworld though. Before they died, they used to tell me stories of how beautiful it was. Even though they were only children, it sounded so beautiful." She had a glazed look on her face before she snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry, I'm so rude. My name is Shaleena."

"Alaanis Pi and Carth Onasi," Alaanis introduced them. "Nice to meet you Shaleena. I was wondering perhaps if you could show us around the village?"

"Oh I'd love to!" Shaleena exclaimed. "Come on. Our village may not be large, but Gender who runs the village is a sweet older man who is like a father to everyone. He rationalizes the food and supplies and helps us ward off the rakghouls. Rakghouls… I wish they didn't exist. They are the one thing keeping us from expanding, from growing as a people. Those diseased mutants continue to attack our villagers, transforming us into them. It's worse than death."

"I can imagine," Alaanis muttered. Shaleena was leading Alaanis and Carth towards a group of tents in the east.

"These tents are our homes," Shaleena told the foreigners. "We usually live with three to five to a tent. We store our clothes and some of our supplies in our homes. We usually just live with our immediate families, though sometimes orphans and widows get grouped together." Shaleena led them through the tents, waving to a few people every now and then, until they arrived at a larger tent where an old man was surrounded by a group of young children, mostly no older then six.

"Who's that?" Alaanis asked Shaleena, jerking her head in the direction of the old man.

"That's Rukil," Shaleena smiled. "He tells everyone the stories of the Promised Land. It's a self-sufficient myth." She sighed. "If only it were true. This place is a dump. We need a promised land."

"You upworlder!" the old man named Rukil exclaimed suddenly. "You are marked upworlder!"

Alaanis stared at the old man as he stopped in the middle of a sentence and jumped up, startling some of the children and ran through them to approach her. Carth gave the guy a suspicious look and Shaleena backed off, obviously slightly frightened as well.

"I'm marked? What do you mean?" Alaanis asked confused.

"You will lead us to the Promised Land!" he shouted. The children and Shaleena stared at Alaanis in awe and Carth donned an even more suspicious look.

"The Promised Land?" Carth questioned. He gave the man a 'you're crazy' look.

"Legend tells of a self-sufficient colony full of everything we need, free of the rakghouls and somewhere we can live happily down here in the darkness!" Rukil cried out. The children turned their gaze towards him.

One of the children, a young girl with messy blonde hair, made a request. "Tell us the story of our history Rukil Wrinkle-Skin!"

The children all laughed at the nickname, and even Rukil laughed too. "The laughter of a child is so beautiful," he said to Alaanis. "Alright Cestra, I shall tell you the story of how we outcasts arrived here."

Rukil sat down on an old withered wicker chair in the back of the tent. Alaanis, Shaleena and Carth all joined the children on the wet ground and listened.

Rukil told the story of how there was a rebellion against the rich who were hoarding all the food and goods after a great famine a century ago. The poor rose up and began a civil war. Then the rebellion was crushed, and the jails weren't large enough to hold all the traitorous poor. So they were sent into the Undercity as the outcasts and now their children and their children's children suffered the same fate.

Once the story was finished, the children strayed off leaving Shaleena, Carth and Alaanis with Rukil. Rukil stood up and walked over to the three, staring Alaanis in the eye.

"Like I said you are marked upworlder," Rukil told her again. "You will lead us to the Promised Land. But first, you must prove yourself. Find the journal of my apprentice. Find what happened to her. She vanished some time ago. I fear she may be dead. Find her journal and return it to me, and then you will lead us!"

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Alaanis replied simply. _Was this guy completely nuts or what?_

"You will lead us!"

XxXxX

Shaleena finished showing Carth and Alaanis around the village by introducing them to the kind old man Gendar, leader of the village, the outcast healer who was keeping a few victims of the rakghoul disease locked up, and Igear. Igear was as slimy as his clothes were… which were covering his selfishness. He claimed that he didn't share his finds with the rest of the village for good reasons.

_Good reasons to you, _Alaanis thought to herself. _Selfish reasons to me, and probably everyone else in the whole damn galaxy._

Shaleena left Carth and Alaanis at the village gates.

"Well, we still haven't seen Mission or Zaalbar," Carth pointed out the obvious.

"There are the sewers still and all of the rakghoul area," Alaanis said. She turned towards the gate keeper and requested for him to open the gate for them.

"Its suicide you know," the old man warned.

"We know," Alaanis told him. The old man shrugged and opened the gate for them. The republic soldiers entered the rakghoul infested areas of the Undercity.

They walked. And they walked. And then they walked some more. It felt like hours of walking before they stumbled upon something to report. Too bad it wasn't good news.

"You there!" called a uniformed sith officer. "You are civilians are you not?" Before waiting for an answer he drew out his blaster and called over four other members of his patrol. "You aren't supposed to be down here! Men! Attack!"

Before Alaanis could convince them with their papers a blaster shot hit her in the side where she was stitched up the previous evening by Zelka. "Ahh!" she screamed. The pain was overwhelming as the stitch burst open and she collapsed to the ground, bleeding again.

The last thing she saw before black was Carth fighting five sith at once.

XxXxX

"Alaanis!" Carth screamed as she collapsed to the ground. He couldn't fight five sith at once! But he had to. He'd been in worse spots before. But Alaanis… she was seriously injured again. Worse than before. _Shooting the woman first in an injury, how classless._

Carth, crazy as he was at the moment, took his blaster in one hand and grabbed one of Alaanis' vibroswords in the other. Swirling it madly while shooting frantically, he ignored each blaster shot in his body. He would be as hurt as Alaanis soon enough.

But quicker than expected, all five sith were dead. Carth had been grazed by their blasters multiple times, but only one deep wound was in his right shoulder. He dropped onto the ground next to Alaanis to see if she was still alive.

There was a pulse. _Thank the Force…_ Carth couldn't have lived with himself if Alaanis had died, and it would've been his fault too for not protecting her better.

_Protecting her? Why are you protecting her Onasi?_

_I can't fight this stuff by myself. As infuriating as she is, Alaanis is somebody I need around to do the fighting with._

_Is that it?_

Carth shoved his inner demons aside and began lifting Alaanis up. But before he got too far lifting her, he saw a small vial of something rolling out from one of the dead sith. Carth thought it might've been the rakghoul serum Zelka Forn had been talking about and so grabbed it.

He continued trying to lift Alaanis back up She was quite light, but he had a hard time carrying her with his right shoulder on fire. Luckily enough, a familiar blue Twi'lek ran straight into him just at that moment.

"Carth!" Mission screeched. "You've gotta – wait, what happened to Alaanis?" Her eyes grew big as she stared at Alaanis' still body. "She's not…"

"She's not dead," Carth confirmed. "She's just unconscious. The Sith shot her in an old wound. Now what were you saying?"

"Zaalbar!" Mission exclaimed. "He's been captured by the Gammorean slave drivers. They were waiting for us this time! I mean, we always explore the sewers and stuff and we never get caught by the rakghouls or the Vulkers, but this time the Gammoreans caught us! They grabbed Big Z and he told me to run off so I did! I thought he was right behind me, but he wasn't! And now… now they're going to sell him into slavery! You've gotta help me!"

"Calm down Mission," Carth told her. "Here, help me carry Alaanis back into the village. We need to get the healer to help us. And this may take awhile. When she wakes up, we'll help you find Zaalbar. I promise."

"Alright," Mission resigned, grabbing Alaanis' arms and head while Carth held her torso and legs. "Let's get back to the village."

XxXxX

Carth was one of those passive-aggressive people in Mission's opinion. One minute he was laughing along with Alaanis and the next he was sending her death glares. Well, at least in the day Mission had known him.

Carrying the unconscious Alaanis, Mission couldn't think of something to say, so she stayed quiet. While she knew Carth's mind must've been on Alaanis, hers drifted back to Zaalbar.

_I was so stupid to just leave him! _She scolded herself. _I should've been a better friend and stayed, helped him fight. I hope he forgives me…_

They finally arrived back at the village. The gate keeper simply stared at Alaanis' body for a full minute before opening the gate.

"Is she alright?" he asked Carth. He nodded his head. The carriers of Alaanis continued their path to the outcast healer.

"What happened to her?" the outcast healer, a young woman with jet black hair who was probably in her mid-thirties exclaimed. Carth and Mission dropped Alaanis onto a flat cot on the ground under a badly put together tent.

"The Sith attacked us," Carth explained. "She took a blaster wound to an old vibroblade injury.

"I think I can treat this, but it will take all night. She should be awake by morning," explained the healer. "By the way my name is Sonya. I will let you stay around while I heal her…"

"Carth," Carth finished. "My name is Carth. The patient there is Alaanis and this is Mission…"

"…Vao," Sonya finished. "I've seen her before. She's gotten herself in a lot of scrapes. Lucky to have her Wookie friend around. By the way where is Zaalbar Mission?"

Mission couldn't look her in the eye. "He's still in the sewers," she answered honestly. _Being held captive by those damned pigs. Stupid Gammoreans! Why does everyone want Wookies as their slaves?_

Carth placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Mission looked up and saw him staring at her and simply telling her with one look that they'd find him. She smiled back, happy to hear she hadn't lost her best friend, and that her new ones would help her. If only Alaanis would wake up.

"…Sith… I am… I will…" Alaanis was mumbling in her unconsciousness. Carth, Mission and Sonya all stared at Alaanis as her eyes opened wide and her upper body flew up off of the flat cot she was lying on. She cringed in pain.

"Al!" Mission cried. She almost threw herself onto Alaanis happy to see her awake. "You're awake!"

"She wasn't supposed to wake up until tomorrow," Sonya pondered with her brows furrowed. "Nonetheless it's good to see you awake miss." Alaanis gave everyone a grateful smile through her pain.

"Is this going to hurt again?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes it will Alaanis, but I can assure you that though I live down here in the Undercity, my tools are god enough to heal almost anything," Sonya reassured her.

"Great. It's going to hurt."

XxXxX

Carth watched yet again as Alaanis went through what looked was torture but was actually medical treatment. At least she was alive… and they had found Mission so now they could get that prototype swoop accelerator. And find Bastila.

Finally he fell asleep on the wet ground of the Undercity. Mission had already fallen asleep about an hour ago leaning against a metal box.

The morning came sunless, as it always did in the Undercity. Carth awoke to see Alaanis moving about with her vibroswords, dueling against Mission.

"Ah!" Mission squealed. "You cut me!"

"It's just your finger Mission, you better be happy I'm not sith or your whole arm would be gone," Alaanis smirked.

"No, she'd be dead," Carth put in. Alaanis and Mission both stared at him. Mission sticking her tongue out and Alaanis giving him a smile.

"Morning flyboy," she greeted him. "Glad to see you're in a better mood."

"Nothing like a sleep on the good old disgusting Tarisian ground to make me happy," he explained sarcastically. Alaanis rolled her eyes.

Mission reached into the pocket of her grey vest and pulled out a tattered journal. It didn't appear to be very old, just very worn. Alaanis took a look at it over Mission's shoulder and snatched it.

"Where'd you get this journal Mission?" Alaanis exclaimed excitedly. She looked like a alcoholic who had been deprived of alcohol for months and then finallyfound a gigantic bottle of ale."It's Rukil's apprentice's! We have to get it to him. Come on!" Alaanis dashed through the mostly empty tents sat and arrived at the last one where Rukil was sitting on a plasteel cylinder, facing the ground with his eyes closed.

"Rukil, we found your apprentice's journal," Alaanis told him. His eyes opened and hetook the journal from her from her open hand.

"It is as I feared then," the withered man sighed. "She has joined the other hunters of the Promised Land in death."

"Yeah, I found it on a corpse near the sewer entrance yesterday," Mission explained.

"You have proven yourself worthy upworlder, now comes the task of leading us to the Promised Land," Rukil told Alaanis, giving her a look that simply told her that she couldn't weasel out of this.

"What must I do?" Alaanis said with a sigh. Carth suppressed a chuckle. It was obvious she was not interested in doing this. _He's a complete kook, I don't blame her…_

"You must find the journals of my father and grandfather," Rukil proclaimed. "You shall find them somewhere in the journey I know you are bound for. But you will find them. And when you do... you will return them to me and we will finally be led to the Promised Land!"

Carth raised an eyebrow at the crazed old man. Mission looked like she might burst out giggling any second. Alaanis simply nodded. "I will do this task for you," she declared.

"Thank you upworlder," Rukil said with a wrinkled smile.

Alaanis, Carth and Mission all headed back towards the gates into the rakghoul infested area. But along the way, Carth picked at something with her.

"Why did you promise to help them?" Carth asked her. "It'll be hard to spare time looking for those journals."

"They don't necessarily need the Promised Land itself," Alaanis told him. "They need hope. And those journals - or at least someone saying that they care enough to look for the journals – are something to give them the hope that they need."

"I guess it makes sense," Mission shrugged. They continued walking in silence, and though Carth wouldn't say it, Alaanis had a point. Hope was often more important and useful than material things or places. They were stopped right by the healer's tent by Igear, the slimy salvager.

"Are you the upworlder Rukil is saying will lead us to the Promised Land?" he questioned Alaanis.

"What's it to you?" Alaanis raised an eyebrow. She placed her hands on her hips and stared him straight in the eye. "If you've got a deal for those journals, you're not getting it. You are a selfish pig, and giving you those journals for a few credits or supplies is pointless. So bug off. I'm giving them to Rukil, not some slimeball like you."

Igear just stared at Alaanis for a moment until he realized that she could slice him up nicely if he didn't comply with her vibroswords. He ran off and Carth and Mission took their turn to stare at her.

"What?" Alaanis asked with her hands still on her hips.

"You're crazy Al," Mission said, shaking her head, her headtails flopping around a little. Alaanis almost chuckled at the nickname. She had never usually been called anything but Alaanis in her life. 'Al' was a bit of a funny one to her.

"Yeah, well, slimy businessmen, also known as pigs, like him don't deserve to even bring up their propositions," the scoundrel told the Twi'lek. Suddenly she stopped for a second and glanced over at the outcast healer, putting away some tools and the plopping down with a datapad. "Hey Carth... that sith patrol that attacked us yesterday, did you loot them?"

"No..." Carth said slowly. Alaanis swore under her breath. "Why?"

"Because they might've been carrying the rakghoul serum I promised Zelka," she told him.

"Wait," he called as she began to keep walking, Mission at her side. Alaanis jerked her head around and saw Carth fumbling through his pockets and then pull out a small vial. "This was on the ground yesterday after I killed them. I think its the serum."

Alaanis ran back to him and took one look at the clear liquid. "I think it is too," she decided. "Thank you Carth!" She threw herself onto him in a rib-shattering hug that would not be out of place if she had been a Wookie.

"Uh... you're welcome?" Carth replied unsure. Alaanis backed off of him, realizing that she had jumped onto him and walked over to the outcast healer in her tent, sitting on the ground, still reading her datapad.

"Sonya," Alaanis began. "Do you still have any patients infected with the rakghoul disease? Do they have a chance at survival?"

"Tons of patients," Sonya replied, setting down the datapad and standing up. "But the majority of them won't be able to be cured. They've gone too long with the disease. They've all put in the request to be killed once they've become rakghouls. It's such a horrible fate really... but there are two that were attacked just a couple hours ago. They should be fine... if we had the cure."

Alaanis held up the vial and Sonya gasped. "You have the cure?" she questioned, her voice wavering. Alaanis nodded. "Follow me to the gated area where they are! Come on, we've got to hurry! I'm not sure of the span of how long until one cannot be cured, but I don't want to take chances." Sonya grabbed Alaanis' hand and dragged her quickly away from the tents and towards a small area Alaanis hadn't noticed before. Two outcasts were sitting on the ground inside, their clothes as grimy as usual, but their faces extra pale and their expressions grim.

"Hendar! Hester!" Sonya called as they approached. "We have a cure for you!" The man and the woman inside the gated area lifted up their heads and watched as the three upworlders and Sonya ran over.

"You have a cure?" the woman named Hester asked, her face still pale but hopeful. "Quickly! Open the gate!"

Sonya opened the gate and she and Alaanis entered the area. "Don't use it all," Alaanis said. "I need at least a bit for a sample to mass produce this cure."

Sonya nodded her head in understanding and took one quarter of the vial and injected it into the woman. "I can feel the disease burning away..." the woman sighed happily. "Thank you upworlder. Thank you Sonya."

The man was administered with another quarter of the rakghoul serum and he took thanked Alaanis and Sonya. Sonya expressed her gratitude by thanking Alaanis hundreds of times and declaring that if Alaanis or her companions ever needed healing again, she would be happy to help.

"We still have enough to give to Zelka?" Mission asked Alaanis as she rejoined her and Carth. "By the way who is Zelka?" Mission, Alaanis and Carth were heading back towards the gate to the rakghoul infested areas so that they could travel to the sewers.

"Yeah I think we have enough," Alaanis decided, looking at the vial closely. "And Zelka Forn is a doctor in the Upper City. He wants to mass produce the rakghoul serum so that he can give it to everyone. He helped me stitch up that blade injury when I first got it. We didn't have time for him to completely fix it up because I was invited to a sith party where I swiped some uniforms."

"Geez, and how long have you been on Taris?" Mission asked.

"Well, before Alaanis woke up, she was unconscious for a good two days," Carth explained. "But after that we spent one day in the Upper City, half of yesterday in the Lower City, and our fifth day is today."

"Hm," Mission muttered. "I guess being republic soldiers you get a lot more done."

"Huh?" Carth asked suddenly. Then it clicked. "You told her?" he asked Alaanis. She smiled sweetly.

"Why can't I talk about who I am?" Alaanis said, flapping her eyelashes at Carth mockingly. "But anyways, yes Mission knows." She smirked at Carth as though threatening him to question her. _I'm not stupid enough to do that beautiful,_ Carth said inwardly.

"I've got nothing against the republic," Mission declared. "So it really doesn't matter if you're republic to me. If you were sith however... we'd have some issues."

Alaanis chuckled. "Well, we're not sith. But we do have to go find Zaalbar. Hey Mission, when we find Zaalbar you'll lead us into the Vulker base won't you?"

"Sure," Mission said. "As soon as we find Big Z, we'll get into the Vulker base. I just hope that rancor is gone..."

"Rancor?" Carth exploded. "There's a rancor down there?"

"Uh..." Mission looked uncomfortable. "Yeah, last I knew there was. But no worries, I've snuck past it a hundred times. It shouldn't be too hard..."

"Heh... right," Alaanis said nervously.

XxXxX

The sewers were a nasty place of Taris. Mission told them that the sewers had been there for centuries. Well, they were dirty enough to have been.

The three of them, Alaanis, Carth and Mission, had already made their way through half of the Gammorean compound in the sewers, killing the gigantic pig-like raiders when they came their way.

Alaanis took another look at her vibroswords and decided that it probably was pretty gruesome seeing her fight with those things. They were covered in the blood of the Gammoreans.

_Times like these I wish I had a lightsaber..._ the though strayed into Alaanis mind and instantly she wondered where that thought had come from.

_I wouldn't be qualified to use a lightsaber, what the hell am I thinking?_ She kicked herself mentally. _I've never even used a lightsaber before, and only seen them when we were on board the Endar Spire._

A Gammorean patrol turned the corner and Alaanis gutted him with her blade. Mission and Carth both worked their blasters and shot him repeatedly in the head. He was down quickly.

Fifteen minutes passed by and five more Gammoreans lie dead. Finally they came across an old-fashioned door that showed exactly how old the sewers of taris were.

"I've never seen a door like that and I've picked almost every type of lock in existence," Alaanis told her companions.

"But I have," Mission cut in. "I've explored these sewers from top to bottom and seen a couple doors like these every here and there. I figured out to get through them a long time ago. Just a second..." Mission tinkered with the lock on the door for a minute before it swung open. "Yes!" she exclaimed. Inside the door was a tall hairy Wookie... Zaalbar!

His brown fur seemed more tangled than before and he was definitely relieved to meet his rescuers. ":Mission:" he growled in the language of the Wookies. ":Aren't you a sight for sore eyes:"

"It's good to see you too Big Z!" Mission exclaimed, throwing herself at her Wookie friend. She then started sniffing him and backed away. "You smell Zaalbar. You need a bath."

":Well we don't really have time for that right now, we have to get out of here:" Zaalbar declared. Then he caught a glimpse of Carth and Alaanis. ":These are the two offworlders we talked with yesterday.:"

"Yep, you remember Alaanis and Carth right Big Z?"

":Yes I do. It's good to see you again:" Zaalbar grumbled.

":Good to see you again as well Zaalbar. Though perhaps not here:" Alaanis said in his language.

":Impressive:" Zaalbar stated.

"Thank you," Alaanis said back in Basic.

"If it wasn't for these two I would've never saved you Big Z," Mission told him. "I may be good with fighting, but I could've never taken down those Gammoreans by myself."

":Well then:" Zaalbar started. ":I must proclaim a lifedebt.:"

"A lifedebt!" Mission exclaimed. "Are you sure about this Big Z?"

":I'm sure:" Zaalbar decided. He turned towards Alaanis. ":I Zaalbar swear a lifedebt onto you Alaanis Pi. I shall follow you wherever you go. May the bond of this lifedebt grow as deep as the roots of the trees of Kashyyyk.:"

"Wow, a lifedebt," Alaanis muttered. "I am honored to accept this vow." She bowed her head at Zaalbar and smiled. "I'm glad to have you aboard Zaalbar."

"There's no way you're getting rid of me then," Mission declared. "I follow Zaalbar everywhere he goes."

Alaanis chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it. Glad to have you aboard Mission. Now we have to get to the Vulker base..." she cut herself off and looked towards the ground where a few corpses lie. She reached down her hand and searched the pockets of a rather filthy corpse, wearing what resembled the same rags the outcasts of the Undercity wore.

She pulled out a journal. "This must be one of the two Rukil was speaking about," Alaanis mumbled to herself. "I wonder where the other one is..." She flipped open the book. "Wow, this is detailed." She shut it suddenly. "Come on, let's get going."

Mission led the way towards the upper sewers along a long ladder. The upper sewers had their share of the Gammoreans and though Alaanis expected to find tons of rakghouls, they only found a few. _I guess the Gammoreans got to them..._

They were heading down a corridor and Mission told them they were getting pretty close. Then they heard a roar.

"Please tell me that was somebody's stomach," Carth whispered.

"Sounded more like a rancor," Alaanis replied sighing. "How are we going to get past a rancor?"

"We could sneak by," Mission suggested. "I have a stealth field generator."

"I have one too, but only one," Alaanis said. "Maybe... Maybe we can sneak through the whole Vulker base invisible. We just probably need to kill whoever is guarding the accelerator. No need to kill more lives."

"But the security that place must have?" Carth questioned skeptically.

"We can search through offices in stealth mode," Mission told him. "And we can call you on a comlink if we need your help."

Carth sighed. "I guess I have no say in the matter?"

":I'd have to say the same thing:" Zaalbar grumbled. He obviously didn't want to let Mission go into that base without him, even if she was going with Alaanis.

"We should be fine," Alaanis declared. "We'll be invisible. After getting past the rancor, it'll be a piece of cake. And plus, we're not stupid. And we can handle ourselves."

"Yeah!" Mission exclaimed.

Carth sighed again. "Alright, I guess I have no choice. Good luck you two."

With a last look back, Alaanis and Mission slipped on their stealth generators and ran into the room with the rancor.

XxXxX

Whew. I've been working on that since I finished the last chapter almost nonstop. Longest chapter yet I believe. Sorry I didn't cram in the Vulker base and the swoop race into this, but that stuff seems like it didn't go with the chapter. Don't worry, it'll be in the next chapter. So anyways, Carth starts up with the beautiful nickname. ;-) Don't worry you Carthaholics (I'm one of you) you'll get some more in due time. I didn't introduce Canderous at all if you've noticed, but that's a) because I'm lazy and b) because I think I want him to make a bigger entrance. Oh and the same with Calo Nord I believe.

_Shadows Run_ - Glad you like doggy biscuits. You get some more for another review. XD Lol. By the way, just thought I'd let you know I started reading Beautiful. I didn't get too far yet (my internet is being evil) but I like it so far. :) I'll review once I catch up lol.

_beatletrekkie_ - Glad you liked the boot part. I love making Alaanis tease Carth. It's the humor of these early chapters that makes me love writing this fic...

Thank you both for the reviews. XD They make me OH SO HAPPY! So review some more please:) Anyways, the next chapter will be Mission and Alaanis' infiltration of the Vulker base and the swoop race. I'm not sure if I will introduce Bastila much in the next chapter yet or not... that's undecided. Anyways, I'm off. Expect the chapter either very soon or not so soon. I have a hectic week ahead of me: two track meets, track practice every day, a talent show friday and a school thing I have to attend on the weekend, Throw in two geometry tests (and yeah I need to study all I can for those) and that's my lovely week. God forbid I have some biology labs and english papers to write... so I have to go. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Crazy Miss Sarah is going, going, GONE!

4-23-05


	7. Swoop Gangs

Pre-thanks to Shadows Run who beta read this chapter and to the reviewers who I will personally thank down below. XD Right, so, where did we leave off? Oh yes… Alaanis and Mission are in the rancor den! Enjoy! 

XxXxX

**Chapter Six: Swoop Gangs**

A loud roar erupted from the room as Alaanis Pi and Mission Vao ran into it, shutting the door tightly behind them. Their stealth generators were on at full power so that they could move more swiftly through the rancor's nest.

But that plan wouldn't succeed real well as Mission tripped over a corpse and her stealth generator snapped off of her belt.

"Alaanis!" she shrieked as the rancor noticed her. Her eyes grew wide as dinner plates as she picked herself up and put the stealth generator back on. But it was too late. The rancor could smell her.

Alaanis knew she couldn't simply stand by and watch as Mission was chased by the rancor. She would kill herself later if Mission was hurt. Zaalbar would probably do that same.

The scoundrel needed the Twi'lek at her side when she infiltrated the Vulker base. And she couldn't just leave the teenager to die.

Alaanis fingered a frag grenade in her pocket and chucked it at the rancor just as it opened it's mouth to roar. _Perfect shot!_ Alaanis cheered inwardly, just in case the rancor wouldn't die from that blow.

But she needn't worry. The rancor collapsed onto the ground as the grenade exploded in its throat. Mission turned off her stealth generator and so did Alaanis. They approached the rancor.

"Thanks Al," Mission barely whispered. Just then their comlink came to life.

"Alaanis? Mission? Are you two alright?" came Carth's worried voice. "We heard an explosion and a scream..." Zaalbar started growling into the comlink. ":Mission are you alright:"

"We're fine," Alaanis said into the comlink. "The rancor simply got a nice grenade for dinner instead of one of us."

"I bet it tasted real good," Carth muttered sarcastically. Alaanis and Mission laughed. Carth wasn't one to make the jokes or go along with one of Alaanis'.

"Anyways, we're fine. We have to turn this thing off unless we want to get caught by the Vulkers though." With a quick good luck on Carth's end and a growl from Zaalbar, Alaanis shut the comlink off.

"That was a close one," Mission said a bit subdued. Alaanis looked over at her.

"I'm glad you're okay though Mission. I don't know what I would've done without your help." Alaanis smiled at Mission and Mission smiled back.

"Thanks." Then they both turned their stealth generators back on and ran towards the next door that led to the elevator to the Vulker base.

There were two guards guarding the door. That was expected. Mission threw a concussion grenade and they collapsed to the ground. They didn't kill them though.

"It's pointless to simply kill lives because we can," Alaanis told her shrugging as she ripped off their energy shields and placed one on Mission's left wrist and one on her own. "They should be unconscious for a good hour which is enough time for us to get that swoop accelerator and get out."

Mission sliced through the door to the elevator easily and they hopped inside.

"Which floor?" Mission asked her as she peered at the panel.

"The garage floor probably," Alaanis said taking a look. "But damnit it needs a code!"

"One of the people in the base probably has it," Mission said. "I don't think those lowly guards had the code though, they were more like expendable guards since they were right by the rancor."

"I think you're right there," Alaanis replied. She pressed the button leading them to the floor right below the garage. "This is quite the big base," Alaanis mumbled.

"Yeah, well, being underground like this helps," Mission explained. "The Bek base is smaller, but they don't need it to be that big. Sure they have a lot of people, but Brejik has to store his illegal slaves, and corpses."

"Sounds like Brejik has quite a few skeletons in his closet," Alaanis commented. The elevator was at the floor just below the one they were aiming for by now. Mission responded with a 'hmm' and the elevator stopped and opened.

"Let's go now," Alaanis whispered. Both invisible, they hurried along hallways, looking for an office with a label on it that started with an actually impressive title.

"'Officer Kandon Ark'," Mission read off of one of the doors. "That's one of Brejik's right hand men! He's gotta have the codes to get us up to the garage and probably the disable some of the security."

"Pick through the lock Mission," Alaanis told the Twi'lek and she obeyed. "Once we get inside, I'll search through the datapads and you look through the computer."

Once the door was opened and the two were inside they disabled their stealth generators and began searching. Alaanis found a lot of datapads talking about Brejik's plans for the swoop war, moles that had infiltrated some of the gangs, things to be stolen from other gangs (including the accelerator) to help them, and... the location of Bastila!

She began to look at the datapad as Mission hacked away at the console when they heard footsteps.

"Mission!" Alaanis hissed. "Stealth!" She switched on her stealth generator and Mission hurried to do the same. One invisible again, Mission continued to look through the computer files, as quietly as possible.

The patrol outside the office passed by and looked in quickly to see nothing out of the ordinary. _Not a very observant guard is he?_ Alaanis thought to herself. _Those Vulkers sure are stupid..._

"I found it!" Mission exclaimed quietly, interrupting Alaanis' thoughts. She walked over to where Mission stood at the console and took a look.

"Here's the code to disable the garage security," Mission said. Alaanis pulled out her journal and began tapping in the code. "BK946GT343"

"What about getting the elevator to take us up to the garage?" Alaanis asked once she had tapped in the code.

"I don't see one... but there is a map leading to a back elevator where we don't need a code," Mission explained. "There's a couple guards back there, but we should be able to take them out easily."

"I'm out of concussion grenades Mission," Alaanis informed her as the Twi'lek logged out of the console. Mission gave her a thoughtful look.

"I don't think we have a choice Al," she said. Alaanis sighed.

"I guess not."

XxXxX

"I hate this waiting!" Carth shouted impatiently. Zaalbar roared in response. Carth wished at times like these he understood the language of the Wookies. But his thoughts were too focused on what Alaanis was up to and if she was all right. And Mission too.

Two Gammoreans rounded the corner. Zaalbar shot them easily with his bowcaster. Though he knew Carth wouldn't understand him, he growled reassuringly. ":I'm sure those two can take care of themselves.:"

"I say we go in after them!" Carth proclaimed. "They may be invisible, but what if they're discovered?" He started towards the door but Zaalbar roared and stuck out an arm to stop him.

":They will never forgive you if you run in to save their lives and they're fine:" the tall Wookie growled. Carth sighed angrily and dropped down onto the floor.

"They better be fine," he grumbled, his thoughts straying back to what he would do if Alaanis got hurt. _Or if Mission got hurt,_ he added.

XxXxX

"How did we get into this mess?" Alaanis shouted over the gunfire. She and Mission were cowering in the corner opposite the elevator leading to the garage, their stealth generators were on, but it wasn't Vulkers shooting at them. It was blaster turrets.

"I forgot to check for turrets?" Mission suggested. The blaster turrets continued to shoot towards the corner where Alaanis and Mission were being covered simply by a couple massive metal boxes. _Good thing they don't melt from blaster fire,_ Alaanis thought to herself. _Or explode,_ she added when she saw a nearby plasteel cylinder explode after being shot.

"We have to get through!" Mission shouted.

"I know!" Alaanis shouted back. "How do you propose we do it?"

"Um..." Mission thought aloud. "I have no idea."

"Great!" Alaanis laughed sarcastically. "Well, this sucks."

"Maybe we can call Carth and have him dismantle the turrets?" Mission yelled.

"First of all he'd go bonkers that we're in trouble, and second of all, he doesn't have a stealth generator."

"Oh yeah."

Mission and Alaanis had been stuck like this for a good ten minutes. Alaanis then noticed a metal shield lying flat on the ground a few meters away, close to the opposite wall.

"Maybe we could use that shield?" Alaanis suggested, the blaster fire still pinging off of the metal boxes in front of them.

"It's suicide to try and reach that!" Mission shrieked. Alaanis sighed. She needed to get that damned shield over there to help them. It was large enough to cover both of them to reach the elevator. They could shut down the turrets once they got to another console upstairs.

Alaanis leaned against the metal box, her eyes shut lightly. She felt like she was beginning to fall asleep. It was surely quite late at night by now. Checking her chrometer, Alaanis wasn't far off. It was about two in the morning.

"These blasters will wake the whole base up!" Mission exclaimed. Alaanis wasn't listening; she was relaxing against the boxes, a serene look on her face as she wished the shield would come over to them. Sprout some wings or legs or something.

Involuntarily, Alaanis arms shot out and in surprise her eyes shot open. In a split second, the shield was in her hands. She stared at the shield with her eyes both wide open.

"What the hell?" she whispered. Mission looked over and her eyes grew wide as well.

"Al," she said, her voice wavering in fear a bit. "How did you get that over here?"

"I..." Alaanis began. But words failed her. How did she get the shield over there? The last thing she knew her eyes were shut close and she was just thinking about it flying over and the next instant it was in her hands! "I don't know Mission."

"It doesn't matter," Mission finally declared, realization slipping onto her face. "Let's use it and get over to the elevator! Quickly, before the Vulkers arrive!"

The two of them both held up the shield with one hand and dragged it along the floor, leading them across the room. The blaster shots hit the shield, but ricocheted off leaving small dents behind.

Still invisible, they finally reached the other side of the room and dropped the shield and ran into the elevator. Mission sliced the weak security system easily and the doors closed behind them as the elevator brought them up to the garage level.

Breathing heavily, Mission turned off her stealth generator for a moment. "That was close," she panted. Then she turned towards the still invisible figure of Alaanis. "How did you manage to get that shield anyways?"

"I truly have no idea," Alaanis said earnestly. "One minute it was meters away and the next it was in my hands. It's like magic or something."

"Sounds like something a Jedi would do," Mission shrugged. If Alaanis wasn't preoccupied with the situation at hand, she would've thought a bit more on what Mission had said. But as it was, they were both a bit busy as the elevator stopped moving and Mission turned her stealth generator back on.

The garage level was about the same as the level below, except there were swoop bikes here and there and a big group of them in the main garage.

"So here's the swoop part of the gangs," Alaanis muttered to herself. The two invisible women continued walking. Mission found what they were looking for about five minutes after stalking through the halls. A computer console outside of a heavily secured room.

"I wonder what's in here," Mission said quietly. Alaanis was thinking the same thing. "You cover me while I slice this thing." Alaanis did as she was told and stood guard, looking for patrols as Mission sliced through the computer.

"Give me the code to dismantle the security," Mission requested a few minutes later.

"BK946GT343," Alaanis read out of her journal. Mission tapped it in and the door in front of them clicked.

"That must be the room where the accelerator is," Alaanis thought aloud. "I wonder if the guards are awake... it's pretty late."

"I wouldn't be surprised, especially after the encounter with the blaster turrets," Mission replied. "Speaking of which, I should shut those down. Pass me two computer spikes would ya Al?" Alaanis reached into her pocket and pulled two out. She had left her gigantic bag of supplies with Carth and Zaalbar, only taking some grenades and supplies with her and Mission.

"Alright, the turrets are down," Mission announced. "Now we just have to beat whatever bad guys await us in this room, take the accelerator and get back to Carth and Zaalbar."

"Piece of cake," Alaanis mumbled. Mission opened the door in front of them and as they stepped into the room their stealth generators shut down. "Damn!"

":Hello there:" hissed a green Twi'lek in the Black Vulker clothes. There was a yellow Twi'lek female standing to his right and two Rodians in Black Vulker uniforms behind them. They were all holding twin blasters, except for the yellow Twi'lek who was holding a large blaster rifle.

":Shall I dispose of these spies Kandon:" asked the yellow Twi'lek.

":No my dear:" Kandon replied. ":Not yet.:" He turned his gaze towards the intruders. Mission and Alaanis stared back hard, both trying to appear tougher than they looked. They were both young female women with small bodies. That didn't normally appear too tough.

_But of course none of them has dueled with Alaanis,_ Mission thought to herself. She smirked at that advantage.

":I see you are not wearing the colors of the Hidden Bek gang. Would you care to turn sides to save you from a horrific death and join the Vulkers:" Kandon proposed.

"No," Alaanis said firmly. "I'm no traitor. Now hand over that swoop accelerator and nobody gets hurt."

The Vulkers all laughed. They obviously underestimated Alaanis. ":How amusing my dear:" Kandon chuckled. ":But I think it's you and your friend over there who are going to be hurt.:"

":May I dispose of them now:" asked the yellow Twi'lek not without a hint of bloodlust in her voice. Kandon nodded his head and everybody aimed their blasters. Before anyone got a shot off though, Mission noticed Alaanis holding a concussion grenade behind her back. _She said she was out of them!_ Mission exclaimed internally.

Alaanis threw the concussion grenade into the room and pulled Mission out of it. They heard the explosion as it knocked all of the people in the room unconscious and Mission and Alaanis ran back into the room. Mission picked herself into a footlocker and found the swoop accelerator. It reminded Mission of Alaanis. It was light, small, but very essential and something worth fighting over. _What a weird metaphor,_ Mission thought to herself.

"I thought you were out of concussion grenades?" Mission asked as she and Alaanis turned their stealth generators back on and they hurried back to the elevator.

"I knew I would need one then so I saved one of them," Alaanis explained simply. "I wasn't sure how many guards would be in there, so I thought a concussion grenade would be better rather than a head on battle."

"That makes sense," Mission muttered.

XxXxX

"I wonder what would happen if I tried contacting them on the comlink..." Carth though aloud. Zaalbar roared at that thought and Carth knew it was a no. "Fine then... I won't."

Another Gammorean patrol ran down the corridor and Carth shot it in the head with his blasters while Zaalbar shot it in the neck with his bowcaster. The two together made a lethal team fighting the Gammoreans that attacked them.

"It's been almost an hour," Carth grumbled. "They should be back by now!"

Just then he stood up form his sitting position on the ground and Zaalbar turned his head towards the door into the room with the dead rancor. Footsteps were approaching. The doors swished open revealing... nothing?

Alaanis and Mission suddenly came into view as they turned off their stealth generators. Mission was holding the swoop accelerator. Of course, she almost dropped it when Zaalbar practically threw himself onto her.

":Mission! You're alive:" he roared. Mission and Alaanis laughed.

"Yeah, I'm fine Big Z," Mission replied grinning like mad. "And we got the swoop accelerator!"

Carth himself had a hard time restraining himself from reacting like Zaalbar had to Mission and crushing Alaanis, showing how glad he was that she was alive.

"Everything fine back here flyboy?" Alaanis asked Carth who was smiling goofily.

"Yeah, it's good to see you alive and here with the swoop accelerator and everything," he told her. "Zaalbar here and I were worried about you and the kid."

"Hey, I ain't no kid!" Mission exclaimed suddenly.

"Relax Mission," Alaanis said chuckling. "Carth didn't mean anything by it."

"Yeah, well, he's an old geezer anyways," Mission replied. Alaanis laughed harder and Carth glared at Mission who smiled innocently. _She seems to be picking up on things Alaanis does..._ But Carth noticed how different it was when Mission teased him and when Alaanis teased him. A thought for another time perhaps...

XxXxX

It was well into the late night by the time the party of four was able to sit and relax in the back of the Hidden Bek base. A lot had gone by for them in the past couple hours since they had rejoined with each other...

_Alaanis had found the second Promised Land journal just outside the entrance to the rancor den. She was overjoyed to have found it and flipped through the two journals._

"_Wow, this really makes a lot of sense," she said while reading it. It took a good half an hour for the group to find their way back to the Undercity through the sewers, but they made it._

_There was only one stop needed in the Undercity before they left and it would be the last conversation they had with any of the outcasts._

"_Rukil," Alaanis said, approaching the old man. Most of the villagers were sleeping, but he was awake. The old man looked up at Alaanis who was standing over him, her short blonde hair accentuated by a light hanging from the roof of his tent. Mission, Carth and Zaalbar stood a little off to the side._

"_Have you found the journals upworlder?" Rukil asked eagerly._

"_Yes I have Rukil," Alaanis replied smiling. She pulled the journals out of her pocket and handed them to him. "I wish you luck in your search for the Promised Land. I think you can find it with those journals as your guide."_

_Rukil took fifteen minutes flipping looking through the datapads and his smile grew wider often. "Perfect!" he exclaimed. "These are perfect! Thank you upworlder. You were marked for this, and I would ask for your help, but I think you are marked for another destiny."_

"_It was nothing Rukil," Alaanis replied grinning. Rukil ran off in search of Gendar. As she, Carth, Mission and Zaalbar headed back to the elevator leading to the Lower City, she heard Rukil and Gendar talking about leaving around daybreak._

_Once they had left the Undercity, Mission was yawning like crazy. Zaalbar ended up carrying the young Twi'lek and she fell asleep in his arms. The sith patrol was half asleep, so he obviously didn't care that a strange Wookie and Twi'lek girl were now with the two 'sith'._

Alaanis smiled as she glanced over at Mission, sleeping on a bunk in the dormitory. It was a small dorm that Mission, Zaalbar, Carth and Alaanis were sleeping in for the day. They would have to awake later that afternoon, or at least Alaanis would, to begin practicing for the swoop race tomorrow. Speaking of which...

"_You have the accelerator?" Gadon asked the group as they walked towards his desk. Carth simply set the accelerator on his desk as a response. Zaendra, who was standing guard nearby, looked over in surprise._

"_I guess you really are helpful offworlders," she commented. Alaanis smiled._

"_Now that you've done your part, I will sponsor you in the race tomorrow," Gadon told her. "I'm a man of my word. You say you haven't raced much before? Well, after you get some sleep, you can practice a bit on some unmodified swoops. My mechanics will take some time to install the accelerator. But don't worry; you'll be racing on that swoop tomorrow."_

_Zaendra, Alaanis and Carth were all surprised by that statement. "Gadon! You can't be serious!" Zaendra exclaimed. "We need one of our best racers on that swoop!"_

"_Why are you doing this Gadon?" Alaanis asked._

"_I have to be honest," Gadon said slowly. "There's a good chance the swoop will explode during the race. It can only take about four or five heats before the accelerator overheats. I can't ask one of my own racers to take the risk. So you'll be racing in that swoop."_

"_Sounds like you've got all your bases covered," Alaanis said with a raised eyebrow._

"_You don't get to be leader of a swoop gang without some strategic skill," he replied chuckling. "But don't worry; I'm sure you will do just fine with a little practice. And if we somehow win your Republic officer and you survive, we can strike a deal. But I'm pretty confident and you seem like the racing type. Zaendra will take you to a small dormitory and you can sleep it over."_

"_I guess I can do this," Alaanis shrugged. "But some sleep does sound good."_

XxXxX

But she didn't really get much sleep. It was about sunrise when Alaanis finally did fall asleep. Everyone else had been asleep for at least an hour already. But she didn't stay asleep for long. For some reason, she just couldn't sleep.

She felt rather awake though once she had gotten two hours of sleep. She decided to check their inventory, see all the supplies they had. It was rather boring, but a bit necessary.

"You couldn't sleep either beautiful?"

Carth's voice surprised Alaanis while she was seeing how many spare parts they had. "You better be lucky I wasn't checking on the grenades or we'd probably all have exploded," she commented. Carth chuckled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you. I just couldn't sleep, so I got a mug of caffa," he told her. "You want some?"

"I'd never turn down a mug of caffa," Alaanis smiled. "Where'd you get yours?"

"The mess hall is now serving breakfast for the Beks, so I snuck in and got a mug," Carth explained.

"I wasn't aware you ever snuck anywhere," Alaanis teased. "Come on; show me where this so called mess hall is located so I can down a cup or two."

"Okay then," Carth shrugged. Alaanis got to her feet and followed Carth out of the room and down a couple corridors. They walked in silence for a bit until Alaanis absent-mindedly walked into Carth's shoulder.

"Ack!" she exclaimed. "I always walk into people!"

"Like Bendak Starkiller perhaps?" Carth teased.

"Bug off flyboy," Alaanis grumbled, regaining her composure and walking ahead of Carth.

"Whatever you say beautiful," Carth said mockingly. She stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled some more.

"Still don't have the brains to find a better nickname than beautiful, flyboy?" Alaanis asked a minute later.

"Still don't have the brains to find a better nickname than flyboy, beautiful?" Carth echoed. Alaanis rolled her eyes. They kept on walking.

"Where's the caffa?" she whined a couple minutes later. She began tinkering with a security spike she had in her pocket.

"We're almost there, relax beautiful." Carth shook his head. He was right in saying that Alaanis had rubbed off on Mission. It seemed Mission had rubbed off on Alaanis a bit too. She hadn't tinkered with security spikes before. Then again, he couldn't say that since he had only known this woman very well for about a week.

"Did you use to tinker with security spikes before?" Carth asked her randomly.

"No," Alaanis replied, shaking her head. "Not really. In fact, I'm not even sure how I know how to tinker with one." She stared at the security spike for a minute and then shoved it back into her pocket. "Weird," she muttered.

"Have you always been such a freak for caffa?" Carth questioned her teasingly. Alaanis took the question to heart though.

"Yes, I love caffa," she said dreamily. "It reminds me of home. My father and two brothers used to drink caffa all the time and so I ended up getting into the habit. My mother was more of a tea person. She always lectured me about drinking caffa and how I would end up short like my brothers. It was quite funny though as she was the shortest in the family. Even I was taller than her."

Carth stared at her for a minute. It was weird how much story was behind a simple drink. He also noticed how her hair was beginning to grow a bit and some shaggy parts were starting to hang down to her ears. A loose piece was hanging in front of her ear. He was very tempted to tuck it behind her ear... but that'd be a bit strange.

"Carth?"

Alaanis' voice shattered his thoughts and he stared back at her, standing in front of him by a few meters. "Are you going to lead me to the caffa or not?" she asked jokingly.

"Coming gorgeous," he said smiling and shaking his head.

"Now that's a better nickname!" Alaanis exclaimed.

XxXxX

It was the day of the swoop race. The previous day Alaanis had practiced nonstop the racing techniques and she had to say that she wasn't bad at it. She remembered back home, racing with her brothers sometimes. They always beat her though...

Carth, Mission and Zaalbar were all watching the race back at the Hidden Bek base. They all had wished her good luck and told her that she was going to win. She smiled at this parting.

Once she had entered the swoop platform, she noticed a few other racers hanging around with their mechanics. Two of them seemed to have acquired some nice injuries from racing their first heats. One racer, the announcer had said, had died. He was a part of a smaller gang, one Alaanis hadn't heard of before. Then again, she hadn't heard of many outside of the Hidden Beks and the Black Vulkers.

":Now racing for the Hidden Beks is Alaanis Naquin:" proclaimed the announcer. She used a fake last name in case the sith would hear about the swoop racing. Keeping her real first name though would make it easier for her remembering whom she was.

Around the swoop platform was also a caged Bastila. Alaanis had noticed her first when she entered the swoop platform, seeing her guarded by two Vulker guards. She was wearing a neural restraining collar, forbidding her from moving of her own free will.

_Maybe some of her jedi tricks could free her from that later, just in case I can't do it or if something goes wrong,_ Alaanis thought to herself as she left the platform and got onto the swoop track. Her mechanic, an older Ithorian, was reminding her of some last minute hints and tricks while she strapped herself in.

_5...4...3...2...1... GO!_

Alaanis pushed the engine as hard as it would go for her first heat, hoping to get everything over and done with as quickly as possible. With the modified swoop, she finished the track in the record time, leaving little room for someone to beat it.

But someone did. A Black Vulker no less. She would have to race again. No other racers volunteered to try and beat the time, they all thought it impossible.

Back at the Hidden Bek base, Carth, Mission and Zaalbar were all watching the view screen nervously.

"I don't know how Alaanis can beat that time!" Mission exclaimed worriedly.

"She's running a modified swoop, maybe with that she can," Carth said reassuringly.

_5...4...3...2...1... GO!_

Alaanis pushed the engines even harder this time. Avoiding all the obstacles, hitting all the speed thrusters, and willing herself to go as fast as possible, somehow she managed to beat the time made by the Black Vulker.

She was greeted by mobs of cheering Hidden Beks and angry Black Vulkers as Alaanis reappeared on the swoop track.

":Amazing! Simply amazing:" the Ithorian mechanic shouted over all the cheering. ":You beat racers who've been doing this for years:"

As the Black Vulkers tried their best to beat that time Alaanis had made, after half an hour the top time still belonged to Alaanis.

The announcer began the winning ceremony. ":The winner of this years' annual swoop race is Alaanis Naquin, racing for the Hidden Beks. Congratulations Alaanis! Come to the center of the platform to collect your prize, a hefty amount of credits from most of the gangs, but also this Republic officer given up by the Black Vulkers.:"

Alaanis headed towards the announcer's stand, but stopping her from collecting her prize was none other than Brejik, the leader of the Black Vulkers.

"You cheated! The Vulkers withdraw their prize because you ran with a modified swoop accelerator!" he exclaimed, the black human looking angry enough to explode. Alaanis thought he looked and was acting like a selfish brat. But she couldn't change that.

Before she could try and compromise with Brejik, the swoop announcer interrupted. ":You cannot withdraw your prize now Brejik! That is breaking our oldest rules:"

"I don't CARE about your stupid rules!" Brejik shouted. "Vulkers, to me! Kill this woman!"

Everyone but Alaanis, six of the Vulkers, and Bastila who was still chained up, ran off the swoop platform as quickly as possible. Before the swoop announcer left though, he aimed a nice blaster shot at one of the Vulkers' heads.

_Five against one,_ Alaanis thought to herself. _Good odds._ She pulled out her vibroswords and began hacking at the Vulkers attacking her with their own vibroblades and shock sticks. They didn't stand a chance against Alaanis' expertise with melee weapons. Brejik soon was the only one standing. He walked towards Alaanis.

"I was supposed to be ruler of the Lower City!" he exclaimed.

"Not today Brejik."

Alaanis and Brejik both turned towards the caged Bastila... to see the cage now opened and Bastila throwing the neural collar off.

"You were restrained by a neural collar!" Brejik yelled.

"You underestimate the strength of a Jedi's mind Brejik," Bastila said calmly, stepping out of the cage and pulling a few loose strands of her chestnut brown hair back. "A mistake you will never make again." She used her Jedi powers to summon her double bladed lightsaber to her from Brejik's belt and took a clean swipe at her neck, decapitating him.

"Nice blow," Alaanis commented after a moment of silence. She stripped Brejik of his vibroblade, his specifically made belt and energy shield, and of course his visor.

"If you think you can collect me as a prize you are dearly mistaken," Bastila threatened, her pale features scrunching up in light anger. Then her features relaxed and her brown eyes grew slightly big. "Wait a second... I can't believe this! You're – you're from the Endar Spire aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm Alaanis Pi, scout and scoundrel at your service," Alaanis mock bowed at Bastila.

"Very funny," Bastila said sarcastically. "Are you the only survivor?"

"Besides Carth Onasi, I believe so," Alaanis replied shrugging.

"Carth Onasi is alive?" Bastila asked. Alaanis nodded her head as though she was explaining something to a four-year-old child. "Finally some good news. I guess I underestimated you... Carth wouldn't have sent you if he wasn't confident in your abilities. Can you take me to him?"

"Sure," Alaanis answered. "Follow me. He's back at the Hidden Bek base right now."

"Let's get going then."

XxXxX

Okay, well, there we leave off with Bastila meeting Alaanis. Haha… clash of the personalities perhaps? But I have a soft spot for Bastila, so I'm trying my best to be nice to her… eventually. Until then, she's the snooty jedi opposite of Alaanis. XD Right, so, thank you for the reviews guys, they make me feel like my writing is really worthwhile! So thanks go to _Shadows Run_ (I caught up with Beautiful and I gave you a lil review over there. :)), _Kitome-chan_, and _Wild's Daughter_ (holds up right hand solemnly and swears oath to holy book of Carth lol).

So, anyways, the next chapter should be up within a week or so, no guarantees because if I had guarantees on all my writing of fics, I'd be dead long ago by my readers. XD The next chapter should condense Bastila meeting the rest of the crew, trying to escape Taris, the entrance of Canderous (and Calo Nord) and the infiltration of the sith base as well as Davik's estate. XD Well, as far as I know, Taris should be done in the next chapter. Then, onto Dantooine! Whee! Okay, well, this chapter was pretty long me thinks hitting a whopping 14 pages, so, hopefully you'll enjoy it! Adios peoples! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

4-25-05


	8. Plans to Leave

Pre props to Shadows Run for beta reading this chapter too. XD By the way, with Janice's last name (Janice Nall/Null) I wasn't sure which one and my computer said Null, so I went with that one. If it's wrong, don't shoot me. I'm taking license to mess around with lesser character names. So, here's chapter seven… (sorry Taris will end NEXT chapter, not this one)

**Chapter Seven: Plans to Leave**

"Alaanis! You won! I can't believe it; you won!"

The blue flash that was Mission Vao went flying onto Alaanis Pi as she and the Jedi Padawan Bastila Shan entered the Hidden Bek base. All around the main hall, and everywhere else too, the Beks were celebrating their victory in the swoop race as well as the downfall of Brejik and the Black Vulkers.

":Congratulations:" Zaalbar growled to Alaanis as soon as she reached her friends.

"You rode well," Carth smiled. Then he caught sight of Bastila. "Bastila! You're alive! It's good to see you again, and, well, alive I guess."

Bastila looked quite uncomfortable in the middle of a swoop gang's base, being jostled around by the gang members… especially the drunken ones.

"Is there a more private place you could bring me up to date?" Bastila asked Carth, eyeing a few members suspiciously as they burst out into a drinking song.

"Sure," Carth replied. "Alaanis," he hissed to her as Bastila walked towards the front of the base. "I'm bringing Bastila back to the hideout. Bring Mission and Zaalbar with you within an hour." Alaanis nodded her understanding and the republic officer joined the jedi and exited the base.

Alaanis looked after the two for a minute… she wondered if their relationship was anything more than two co-operating officers.

_You dunce,_ Alaanis scolded herself. _Jedi aren't allowed to love remember? And besides, what should it matter to you?_

"Hey Alaanis, want a drink?" Mission offered, breaking into her thoughts. Alaanis took her eyes off the two retreating backs and looked down at the blue Twi'lek holding a cup of Tarisian ale.

"No thanks," Alaanis chuckled. "That stuff is definitely too strong for someone like me."

"Suit yourself," Mission replied, downing half the cup in a drink. Alaanis shook her head. The teenager would surely end up drunk if she didn't drag her away soon.

Alaanis wandered through the base for a minute, trying to find Gadon to thank him for all his help. The best she could find was Zaendra, standing guard by a locked door.

"Hello Zaendra," Alaanis greeted.

"Good job in the race today," the Twi'lek said. "You rode well. I guess I underestimated you."

"It was luck," Alaanis shrugged it off. "I never would've been able to ride that well without the modified swoop accelerator."

"Either way, good job," Zaendra smiled at Alaanis. She was beginning to trust the strange offworlder. "I would let you say a goodbye to Gadon before you leave, but he's still grieving over the death of Brejik. Even though he turned traitor, Gadon always hoped he could've helped Brejik see reason. But I guess it's too late to know now."

"Send him my deepest sympathies Zaendra," Alaanis told her nodding her head. She stuck out a hand for a handshake. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

Zaendra took the hand and nodded back, her headtails bobbing lightly. "Thank you for using that chance wisely. And helping the gang out."

"It was nothing," Alaanis said modestly. "Goodbye." And without waiting for an response, Alaanis hunted down Mission and Zaalbar and dragged them back to the hideout in the Upper City.

XxXxX

_I guess those sith papers came in handy once again,_ Alaanis thought to herself as she, Mission and Zaalbar got past the sith officer guarding the elevator from the upper city to the lower city with ease. _It could've been the late hour though…_

And it was getting quite late. According to Alaanis' chrometer, it was a little after two in the morning… she realized she hadn't really slept properly since before she and Carth went down into the Lower City. She hoped she could get some tonight…

She was barely awake as she typed in the code for the hideout and entered it with the teenage Twi'lek, dead on her feet, and the tall young Wookie, still strangely vigilant, even after hours.

"I feel dizzy…" Mission stuttered.

"What do you expect, drinking down all those ales Mission?" Alaanis commented. At this Mission fell forward and Zaalbar caught her by pure reflex.

":She did the same thing last year at the swoop race:" Zaalbar told the older woman. ":The Beks may have lost that time, but the gang war wasn't so intense back then, Brejik was still a Bek, and he knew how to throw a party even when he lost.:"

Alaanis smiled at the thought of celebrating loss. Brejik didn't seem like such a bad person then… but he was mutated by arrogance and greed… a lesson to be learned…

_Force, I sound like a goddamn jedi! _Alaanis shook her head, trying to shake the thoughts from her mind. Once inside the hideout, the first thing Alaanis noticed was Bastila and Carth having a heated fight. Once they saw the three new companions though, they quieted.

"Who are they?" Bastila asked, indicating Zaalbar and Mission.

"This is Mission Vao and Zaalbar," Alaanis introduced. "They helped us get into the Vulker base to steal a swoop accelerator so that Gadon would sponsor me in the race. And we saved Zaalbar's life so he swore a lifedebt to me. And he and Mission are best friends so we're stuck with both of them. Not that there's a problem with that." Alaanis grinned at Bastila's paling complexion.

"I – I am Bastila Shan, Jedi Padawan of the Jedi Order," Bastila regained her composure and held out her hand for Zaalbar to shake. He took it and growled a simple greeting.

"Now Bastila," Carth began. "Before we get into another fight over how to leave this planet, I say we get some sleep. I know you've been unconscious a lot lately, or in whatever state you jedi are in when you're captured, but we've all been pretty sleepless for a few days now. Whatever you have to say can wait until morning and we can discuss it as a group."

Bastila looked like she was going to object, but she didn't. "All right," she resigned herself to Carth's declaration. "Where do I sleep?"

"Wherever you want to," Alaanis said cheerfully. "I hear the floor is rather comfy." Bastila's brow furrowed, showing great annoyance at her comments. Alaanis almost laughed. Aggravating this jedi was just too easy…

XxXxX

Bastila ended up sleeping on the bed. Alaanis took the couch this time, Mission slept on a makeshift bed of extra clothes. Zaalbar simply slept on the floor and Carth joined him down there with his orange Republic jacket as his only warmth.

Alaanis was rather disappointed when she awoke and looked at her chromo to see that it was only eight o'clock. She was also surprised to see Bastila awake and not Carth. Carth had made the impression that he was not one to sleep in.

"Good morning," Bastila said tersely. She was rummaging through their supplies cautiously as to not break anything or set anything off.

"Morning," Alaanis yawned, stretching out her arms and feeling her back crack unpleasantly. Carth had been right when he said this couch was uncomfortable…

"I wanted to properly thank you for 'rescuing' me," Bastila told the other woman with pure reluctance in her voice.

"Uh… you're welcome," Alaanis replied. "I'm sorry I sort of angered you last night…"

"I was a little on edge, it's not your fault," Bastila muttered. She closed the locker she was looking through and went to another. "Do you have any simple robes?"

"No," Alaanis told her. "I don't think we do. Just some armor and a few sets of clothing. Nothing too much in the ways of apparel."

"Oh," Bastila said. "Well, no matter. I'll just wear these." She was wearing a tan bodysuit with hanging pieces of deeper brown material.

"Why do you have those hanging pieces on your outfit?" Alaanis asked her.

Bastila gave her a look. "They're for balance. The Jedi robes have heavier parts of them and these ropes help balance me so that I am used to the robes even when I'm not wearing them. They're a part of my training."

"Interesting training…" Alaanis mumbled. She went into her gigantic bag of supplies and pulled out a mostly empty jug of caffa. She chugged the rest of it while Bastila plopped down on the bed, and positioned herself to meditate.

But it was obvious there was something on the young Jedi's mind that prevented her from concentrating. Alaanis decided to ask. "Something up?"

"I just want to know exactly what happened before you arrived at the swoop race," Bastila spilled. She opened her eyes and uncrossed her legs and simply stared at the slightly older woman.

"Didn't Carth tell you?" Alaanis asked confusedly.

"Yes," Bastila sighed. "But I'd like to hear it from your point of view." Alaanis took her turn to give Bastila a look.

"Alright…" Alaanis jumped into the story, starting at the beginning: when she woke up on Taris. She told Bastila about the sith party, the duel matches (she knew Bastila would disapprove and found the Jedi's look amusing), the rakghoul serum, the bounties (Bastila also disapproved of that), the deal with the Beks, the Undercity, and everything else she, Carth, Mission and Zaalbar had faced on their adventures.

Bastila had a thoughtful look on her face once Alaanis had finished. Everyone else was still asleep after those twenty minutes (surprisingly… _but maybe not so much after all we've been through, _Alaanis thought to herself.)

"I have one question," Bastila stated. She looked over at Alaanis and saw her nod. So the chestnut haired woman continued. "Did that metal plating in the Vulker base actually move when you were willing it to do so in your mind?"

That wasn't a question Alaanis had expected. She stared at the younger woman, slightly startled. "I… guess," she shrugged. Bastila looked more closely at Alaanis.

"I'm not sure if I can say this for certain, but you seem to be 'lucky' as most non-Force sensitives would put it," Bastila declared. "But as a Jedi and a force-sensitive, I would say you seem to be Force-sensitive yourself. You've gone through many situations that most people would normally fail with. And your skill with a blade, well, the finesse matches the style of a Jedi fighting with a lightsaber."

"I had a lot of help," Alaanis told her, shrugging and sitting down on the couch. "Maybe you're just underestimating us non-Force sensitives."

"But I believe you are Force-sensitive," Bastila said. She gave a small shadow of a smile to Alaanis. "We should go to Dantooine once we get off of Taris. There is a Jedi enclave there. Maybe if you were younger the council would take you for training, but as it is…" she stopped, her cheeks flaming just slightly as she folded her legs and went back into a meditative state.

Alaanis just felt confused. She looked over at Bastila and asked "What?" But she received no reply. Bastila simply continued meditating, and Carth woke up.

"So what are we doing today?" Carth questioned, yawning.

"I have to drop off the rakghoul serum at Zelka's office," Alaanis told him. Mission's headtails twitched slightly and she opened her eyes, simply to close them and cringe.

"The light is so bright…" she muttered. "And I feel so dizzy."

"You've got a hangover Mission," Alaanis put it plainly. "You shouldn't have drunken so much ale."

"You shouldn't have drunken at all," Bastila grumbled. "Are you even old enough?"

"There aren't official drinking laws on Taris," Mission said, pouting slightly. "Well, none that anyone obeys anyways. And I'm fourteen! I am not a little child!"

"Then stop ranting and come with me to Zelka's," Alaanis sighed. "Maybe he's got something for your hangover. Carth, you want to come?"

He was halfway through tying his boot up and nodded at Alaanis' proposition. "We could use a few more medpacs," he commented. "You'll be alright here with Zaalbar Bastila?" Bastila nodded lightly, never opening her eyes.

Carth finished tying up his boot and he, Alaanis and Mission left the hideout behind.

XxXxX

"You have the serum?" Zelka exclaimed.

Alaanis, Carth and Mission were standing inside Zelka's office. Mission was examining some of the broken droids, Carth was looking through Zelka's inventory, and Alaanis was handing her small vial of serum to Zelka.

"I hope that's enough for you to mass produce it," Alaanis said, beaming. She was glad that Zelka could finally help people with the rakghoul disease.

"I think it's just enough," he replied, still obviously gleeful to have the cure. "How did you… wait never mind, I really don't want to know how you got this. Anyways, is there anything I can do in return?"

"Is there anyway to get offplanet?" Alaanis asked the older man as he pocketed the serum. "We need to leave… but we don't have a ship."

Zelka frowned. "There's no way off the planet with the sith quarantine." He sighed lightly. "The only way off is if you had the fastest ship in the galaxy, the sith launch codes to get past the automatic targeting system the sith has, and a lot of luck."

"Do the sith have a military base here?" Alaanis questioned.

"Yes, they do, it's not far from the elevator to the lower city, just north of it. You're not going to… break in are you?"

"If there's a rumor of a break-in, it wasn't me," Alaanis winked at him.

Zelka smirked. "My lips are sealed." Carth walked over to the pair of them with a few medpacs in hand. "Those are free sir," Zelka told him smiling. "For that serum, I wish I could give you more, but information and some medpacs is all I've got."

"And that's all we need." Alaanis had a wicked grin on her face that made Mission grin too and Carth roll his eyes and sigh.

XxXxX

"We need some sort of accomplice, somebody to get us a ship," Carth said, pacing the apartment while Bastila sat on the bed, Alaanis and Mission sat on the couch, and Zaalbar sat in a random chair (that was anything but comfortable) in the corner.

The party of five had been trying to work out a plan to escape for five days now. They couldn't break into the sith base unless they had a way to escape the planet within a day or so. And they probably couldn't get into the sith base without an expert droid, as talented as Mission was at picking locks.

"Well, are there any Republic friendly people that could help us?" Bastila suggested.

"You've already brought up that option a million times Bas!" Alaanis exclaimed. "Zelka doesn't have the resources, nobody else in the Upper City wants to help us, and the Beks don't have enough droids to lend us one nor do they have a fast ship."

Mission sighed. "And I thought Gadon could help us."

"It was a good idea Mission, it just didn't come through," Alaanis said reassuringly, placing her hand on Mission's shoulder. The Twi'lek smiled.

"But we still need to get off planet," Carth grumbled. He fell down onto the floor and leaned against a wall.

"Malak will strike here soon," Bastila told the group. "He will find out I'm still down here and won't show any mercy to the planet if he thinks he can kill me."

"Then the more reason for us to leave," Alaanis groaned, leaning back onto the uncomfortable couch, staring up at the ceiling with her shocking blue eyes. She closed them and wished for a miracle. _We need to leave this place…_

Knock!

There was a knock at the door. Alaanis lifted her head up and Mission stood up to get a better view of whoever it was while Carth opened the door.

"Hello," Carth said simply as a green Twi'lek walked into the room with a datapad in his hand. He spotted Alaanis and walked over to her. She stood up.

":Are you the swoop rider that won the Annual Swoop Race in the Lower City:" the Twi'lek asked her. Alaanis nodded. ":I Have a message to give to you from a man named Canderous Ordo.:"

"Ordo…" Carth muttered. "That's a Mandalorian clan!"

":Yes sir:" the Twi'lek explained. ":Canderous is a Mandalorian. He works as mercenary for Davik. Nobody seems to listen to the Exchange unless there's a tough guy like Canderous involved. Anyways, he has a proposition for you miss. He wants you to meet him in Javyar's Cantina… the one in the lower city. I strongly suggest you don't keep him waiting.:"

Alaanis took the datapad from the Twi'lek and nodded her thanks. He left the room with a small smirk, ignoring the four people simply staring at his retreating back.

"A Mandalorian!" Carth exclaimed. "We're expected to ally with a Mandalorian!"

"I wonder what he wants to meet me for…" Alaanis said thoughtfully. She read the datapad over, but it didn't say anything except for 'To the Swoop Race Winner – Meet Canderous in Javyar's Cantina. Three o'clock.' Alaanis glanced down at her chromo. It was about quarter of three currently. She'd have to leave quickly.

"So," she asked the silent room. "Who's coming with me?"

"I shall," Bastila proclaimed, rising from her sitting position on the bed.

"I'll go," Carth declared slightly reluctantly. "I don't trust Mandalorians, I don't like Mandalorians, but I'd like to sneak a peek of whoever this Mandalorian is and what he wants." He was wearing a frown on his face. _Well, obviously he doesn't like Mandalorians, they fought the Republic only five years ago!_

"I guess Big Z and I will stay here, ya know, hold the place together," Mission decided. Alaanis smiled gratefully. She didn't feel like bringing a whole escapade of people to meet a Mandalorian. As it was, she was probably expected to go alone and without a Republic officer and a Jedi to boot. She sighed.

"Well then… we should get going."

XxXxX

Alaanis walked into the cantina gracefully, trying her best to look impressive. She had never met a Mandalorian before, and wasn't sure what it'd be like.

She tried to remember something she knew her father had said about Mandalorians when she was a child. Something along the lines of 'big brutes with big guns and no courtesy' is what he had said to her. Alaanis sighed. She missed her home sometimes, scouting through the wilds of Deralia, watching her brothers wrestle in the backyard… it had all ended when she had become a smuggler, caught by the Republic, and now stuck on Taris for almost two weeks.

She was shaken back into reality when she saw a tall burly man walking towards her. This must've been Canderous Ordo. He had buzzed and grizzly brown hair with small streaks of grey. His eyes were a watery grey and his face had a deep scowl almost etched into it. It turned into a smirk as he spotted Alaanis. Standing not four feet from her, he towered over the short woman with at least a foot and a half of height. Even Carth, who was fairly tall, was towered over by this man.

"So…" Canderous began. "You must be the winner of the swoop race. Nice riding skills. And swordsman skills in that little battle as well. Very stylish. Exiting with a bang, miss…"

"Alaanis," Alaanis told him. "My name is Alaanis Pi. I presume you are Canderous of Ordo?"

"That's me," Canderous smirked. "I see you brought some friends." He gave a look over Alaanis' shoulder at Bastila who was giving the large man a look that obviously showed she was analyzing him, and Carth was giving him a look of pure disgust. "Let's have a seat, I'll treat for drinks."

Alaanis trailed Canderous over to a table near the corner of the cantina and Bastila and Carth followed as well. They sat down and Canderous ordered drinks for them from the Twi'lek waitress.

"Now I heard rumors you're looking to get off this planet," Canderous started. "Now, the way you raced, very crazy. So, I've got a very crazy idea to break you off this planet."

"Who says we need your help?" Carth spat. Canderous gave him an amused look.

"Just because you don't happen to like the Mandalorian way doesn't mean you have to be stupid enough to irk one Republic," Canderous chuckled. Carth's glare darkened.

"So what do you propose?" Bastila questioned, obviously just to stop Carth from lunging at Canderous. The Mandalorian turned her way and sized her up with his eyes.

"What's this?" Canderous laughed lightly as he caught sight of her double-bladed lightsaber. "A Jedi as well? What fun company you keep Pi!"

Alaanis cleared her throat so that both Bastila and Carth would not attack Canderous and so that Canderous would stop laughing. The brute looked Alaanis' way and quieted.

"So what's your proposition again?" Alaanis asked as politely as she could. The Twi'lek waitress arrived at the table with their drinks and Carth and Bastila continued their glaring over the rims of their glasses, while Alaanis sipped hers slowly and Canderous downed half of it in a sip.

"Right." Canderous finished off his drink. "So, to get off planet, you need the sith launch codes and a ship. I can provide the ship… if you get me the launch codes."

"As much fun as that sounds," Alaanis commented. "We need a droid to get into the sith military base to get those codes." She raised her eyebrow, waiting for an answer.

"Of course you do," Canderous said. "Which is why in the Upper City you will go see Janice Null, a Twi'lek female who has a T3-M4 for Davik. Tell her I sent you and she'll give you the droid. For some credits that is, but I'll give you the amount you should need once you agree to my plan."

"What makes you so certain we'll agree?" Carth mumbled.

"Because nobody else has a fast ship that can get you off Taris quickly," Canderous growled.

Bastila leaned back in her chair, sighing. "I sense no deception from you," she explained. "Which is odd, yet it's true."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me princess," Canderous grunted. Bastila narrowed her eyes. Alaanis took her turn to sigh, and sipped her caffa thoughtfully. Canderous' plan made sense. But what ship did he have?

"What ship is it that you have to get us offplanet?" Alaanis questioned aloud.

"Davik's own flagship, the Ebon Hawk," Canderous replied proudly. "Fastest little thing in the galaxy. She's a beauty all right."

"How will you manage to do that?" Alaanis asked. "It's probably not that easy to rob your employer of his beloved ship. By the way, why do you want to help us with this anyways?"

"Simple, revenge." Canderous gave her a look like it was that simple. "Davik hasn't been giving me my cut, so its time to turn the table and get off this backwater planet and find something better than this mercenary crap. Working for Davik sucks, and I'm beginning to hate Taris. So, I'd like to leave, and you seem capable of what I need. I mean, I'd do it myself, but everybody knows me. You're becoming well known of course, but I've been here for two years, and you've been here for two weeks."

"Makes sense," Alaanis said fairly. "Alright, we'll do this." The plan seemed simple enough. Get the droid, get into the base, steal the launch codes, and steal the Ebon Hawk.

"Sounds perfect," Canderous grinned. "Meet me back here by tomorrow with the launch codes. I won't be waiting forever, so you better have them by tomorrow."

"Deal." Alaanis stuck out her hand and Canderous shook it. Carth was still glaring the larger man as he, Alaanis and Bastila left. Canderous sat back down at the table and ordered another ale.

"Today's a good day to get drunk," he said to himself, downing another glass.

XxXxX

"Do you really think it's a smart move trusting that brute?" Bastila questioned Alaanis with a raised eyebrow as they exited the cantina.

"Do we really have a choice?" Alaanis pointed out. "Nobody else can help us. Canderous is our only option." She gave Carth a look as he opened his mouth to object. She wasn't going to take any of their opinions on this. Canderous _was_ their only option.

They walked back to their apartment within fifteen minutes where they found Zaalbar sharpening his swords on the bed and Mission playing pazaak with herself. The blue Twi'lek looked up in excitement at seeing her companions return.

"Have a nice meeting with Canderous?" she asked expectantly. She was grinning. _Wait a second…_

"You know him don't you!" Alaanis exclaimed. Carth took a double take when he saw Mission nodding.

"I don't know him personally or anything, but I've seen him around doing Davik's dirty work," Mission explained. "I was wondering when you told me about the dueling ring stunt if Canderous would be one to challenge you or not. He used to do some of the dueling matches when he first came here two years ago. He was champion for a couple weeks even. Bendak Starkiller wanted to challenge him, but that's when Canderous got out of the sport. Since then, he's just been making creds working for Davik."

She was beaming. Alaanis was shaking her head in half amusement and half annoyance and Carth was simply staring at Mission while Bastila settled herself down on the floor for some meditation.

"So… what's the deal?" Mission asked after a moment of silence. Carth finally shook his head and plopped down onto the couch. Alaanis settled into a chair backwards and faced Mission who was still sitting on the floor in the middle of the room.

"Well…" Alaanis explained the meeting with Canderous and his proposition for their exit of the planet. It wouldn't have taken that long to explain if Carth hadn't kept muttering darkly under his breath about 'dirty Mandalorians'.

"So, when are we going?" Mission was leaning on her side, her headtails sagging onto the floor. Zaalbar had been listening while he sharpened his blades and had put them down shortly before Alaanis had finished the telling. Bastila was in a deep meditative state.

"Tonight probably," Carth suggested, standing up from the couch and walking over to where Alaanis sat in the chair. He leaned onto the chair, his body hovering above Alaanis a bit. Mission raised her eyebrow at him right behind Alaanis. Alaanis rolled her eyes at the young Twi'lek's assumption. Mission almost giggled.

"That sounds good," Alaanis shrugged, her shoulder nudging Carth slightly when she raised it. He seemed to have finally noticed how close he was to her and stood up straight. _It was kind of comforting,_ Alaanis thought to herself. Then she mentally slapped herself. _There are more important matters at hand!_

"Don't forget we have to retrieve that droid as well," Bastila stated, coming out of her meditative state and uncrossing her legs. She stayed sitting though. "So… who's going to go into the base?"

"Well, I don't plan on being left behind," Alaanis said plainly.

"Nobody would be that stupid, you'd kill them," Carth muttered. Alaanis smirked. "I think I should come with you. You'll need a good aim with you." Alaanis nodded in acceptance. She glanced Bastila's way.

"I might be recognized," Bastila reddened slightly. "I would love to help, but as Malak is after me, I don't think I should enter a sith military base."

":I shall come with you:" Zaalbar growled. His raised his blades. ":I would be honored to help you.:"

"Thank you Zaalbar," Alaanis smiled. She turned towards Mission. "I think you should stay behind Mission. I mean, are you even over from that hangover from earlier? And plus, as sneaky as you are, I have a feeling we're going to need more brute strength here rather than stealth."

"I'm completely over that hangover!" Mission wailed. Then she calmed down a moment. "But I think you're right. I might just be a burden…"

"You're never a burden Mission," Alaanis encouraged her. "It just might not be a smart move to drag our whole party along." She smiled at Mission who sighed and started shuffling her pazaak deck. "Anyways, we better get that droid and perhaps get some of those plans of the sith base before we infiltrate it…"

Carth and Zaalbar trailed Alaanis out of the apartment, leaving Bastila to lose Pazaak to Mission constantly while they were away. They dragged along Alaanis gigantic bag of supplies, emptying it of the pointless things (like empty and half empty caffa mugs) and filling it up with medpacs, repair kits (for the droid) and some spare blasters and swords.

They wandered around the Upper City until around five thirty when they arrived at Janice Null's droid shop. They walked in and she straightened up a bit from her slouching position on her desk. Alaanis smiled as Janice Null, an obviously young (early twenties, Alaanis presumed) yellow Twi'lek, pulled together a few spare droid parts and shoved them into a box.

":Hello:" Janice said enthusiastically. Alaanis and Carth smiled and nodded their heads. Zaalbar growled a greeting lightly. ":What do you need? Not many people come into my shop… too many Tarisians hate aliens. They're so close-minded.:" Janice sighed lightly.

":Hear, hear:" Zaalbar roared. Janice looked slightly frightened for a moment, but Alaanis interpreted what the Wookie had said and she smiled.

"Canderous Ordo sent us to retrieve a T3-M4?" Alaanis asked. Janice smiled and nodded.

":So Canderous sent you eh? Well, that's wonderful! He was supposed to pick up this droid a week ago, but he never picks them up for Davik on time… anyways, it's two thousand credits for the droid, it's the silver one:" Janice explained, holding out a hand for the credits.

Alaanis pulled out the roll of credits Canderous had given them earlier that afternoon and handed them to Janice. She took them gratefully and pointed to the short and silver astromech droid sitting to the left of the counter. Janice handed Alaanis the credentials, once satisfied with the money. T3-M4 was activated.

"Boop… beep de doop?" the droid asked. Alaanis could understand its boops and beeps though. _Weird… I don't remember really working with droids much…_ She shook her head and told the droid in Basic that she was its new owner.

"Beep! Be-de-beep!" the droid said enthusiastically, in Basic telling Alaanis that he was enthusiastic to be one of her counterparts. Alaanis smiled.

"Thank you Janice," Carth said politely as he, Alaanis, Zaalbar and T3 exited the shop and walked towards the cantina.

"We're getting a drink?" Carth asked incredulously.

"Not Zaalbar and T3," Alaanis informed him. She pulled out a comlink and called Mission back at the hideout. "T3 and Mission are going to sneak into the base and steal the blueprints while Zaalbar is going to keep in contact with them. You can join him if you'd like, but I would like a drink."

Carth just stared at Alaanis as she explained the plan to Mission. Excitedly, the young Twi'lek arrived at the cantina in ten minutes. She, the Wookie and the droid all left Carth and Alaanis in the cantina to steal the blueprints.

"_You're much better at being sneaky than I am Mission," Alaanis had explained. "Carth isn't very stealthy either and Bastila probably would work, but she can't get caught. Since you want to help, this is your chance. Your strength is just what we need. I would slow you down so I'm not coming. Zaalbar will be in contact if you need him. Come and find Carth and I in the cantina when you're done all right? If you get caught, call Zaalbar immediately and he'll find us."_

"_Got it," Mission had replied. She was excited but nervous to be doing something so big as infiltrating a sith military base and robbing some plans for more people to sneak in._

"Now why isn't she doing all of the stealing?" Carth asked Alaanis as they sat down at a table in the cantina.

"Because the codes will be guarded more heavily, and she can't handle dozens of sith troopers," Alaanis told him.

"And you can?"

"With Zaalbar's help as well as yours, I think we could pull it off." Alaanis ordered a caffa from the waitress and Carth declined a drink. They two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"So…" Alaanis began lightly. "Your paranoia issues, they branch from Saul's betrayal don't they?" It was a random topic, but Alaanis had noticed how paranoid Carth had been in the two weeks she had spent with him on this planet.

"Uh, yeah." The question surprised Carth. "I guess so… am I really that paranoid?"

"Yes," Alaanis chuckled. "Tell me you haven't noticed how paranoid you act. Constantly. If you didn't have a real motive, I would've thought you needed to be in a medical facility long ago."

"Yeah…" Carth trailed off. His eyes hardened a bit. "Real motive eh? I guess… I guess I owe you an apology Al. I'm sorry if I had been overly suspicious of you before. You're obviously loyal to the Republic. And you've proved yourself plenty of times."

"The apology isn't necessary Carth," Alaanis said quietly. "You haven't really hurt me."

"Well, anyways, I'm sorry." Carth gave her a half smile. "I guess I just… sometimes I wonder what I'm living for. The thing I constantly tell myself is that I'm living to kill Saul. To avenge Dustil and Morgana. I feel like that's all that's driving me. And sometimes… I feel like that's all I need."

"I'm sorry Carth… I don't know exactly how you feel," Alaanis shrugged. "I haven't experienced much death in my life, if you'll exclude my mother's death about two years ago and an old friend of mine and a fellow scout who died about ten years ago when we were teenagers in the wild of Deralia."

"I'm sorry too Alaanis," Carth told her. "Death is never a fun experience. It always stays with us, shapes us, changes us…"

"But you don't have to let it shape you Carth," Alaanis responded. She looked into his eyes, blue and soft into brown and hard. He was a man driven by rage… by death.

Carth turned away from her when her caffa arrived at the table. She sipped it lightly for a few minutes while Carth absorbed her words.

"Hey, I thought of a new nickname for you flyboy," Alaanis attempted at lightening the mood. Carth looked over at her interestedly. "Captain Paranoia."

Carth chuckled. "That's not as good nor as flattering," he criticized.

"How about Captain Hutt Spawn?" Alaanis cocked her head to the side with a grin on her face.

"Oh I love it," Carth said sarcastically. "Now what do you think about gorgeous instead of beautiful?"

"Much more fitting," Alaanis smiled flirtatiously. Carth rolled his eyes and Alaanis stuck out her tongue. She poked him in the stomach as she finished up her caffa. He growled, trying to be menacing but failing miserably. Carth broke out into a grin and Alaanis winked.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for about five minutes until Zaalbar arrived in the cantina. Alone.

"Zaalbar! Where is Mission?" Alaanis exclaimed, exceedingly worried. She stood up and walked over to the Wookie. Many of the Tarisians were glaring at Zaalbar or else backing away slowly. Carth followed Alaanis over to Zaalbar.

":She got captured:" Zaalbar roared, obviously feeling it was his fault and angry. And there was nothing good when you have an angry Wookie after you. _Stupid sith slime!_ Alaanis thought to herself. _Capturing a kid!_

"Did T3 get out?" Alaanis asked the Wookie as the three of them exited the cantina.

":Yes, luckily enough he wasn't noticed, he hid in a group of other astromech droids and snuck out. He's outside:" Zaalbar explained. Sure enough, once exiting the cantina, Alaanis saw the small droid moving around restlessly. It beeped frantically at Alaanis once catching sight of her.

"I guess we'll go in as planned, but we'll have to rescues Mission as well," Alaanis sighed. She hated the fact that Mission had been caught. She felt completely guilty for the whole ordeal. "Come on, let's get back to the base and work out a plan…"

XxXxX

At nine o'clock that night, according to Alaanis' chromo that is, she, Carth, Zaalbar, T3-M4 and Bastila were at the entrance to the sith base. Bastila had risked coming because she felt that if there were more of them, they could take down the sith easier. She was wearing a black mask though to cover her face. She wouldn't take the risk of revealing her face.

_Her lightsaber will help,_ Alaanis admitted. So the entire party was going after Mission, and the launch codes. Zaalbar and Bastila decided to go after Mission while Carth and Alaanis went for the launch codes. Everybody wanted to rescues Mission, but they admitted that it'd be quicker if they split in half.

"Well," Alaanis said once T3 had cut the door open. "Here we go."

XxXxX

Anyways, phew. I had three pages written for a few days, tacked on four more, typed up three last night and finished the final five today. Adds up to fifteen pages! Yay! I think it could be a new record for this fic lol. So, next chapter will be the sith base and Davik's estate, and Mission being captured was some random thing I never planned on doing. It just happened. I felt like getting Zaalbar wiled up. XD

Mucho thanks to the reviewers! You peoples rock so completely! So thanks to naturewytch, Wild's Daughter, beatletrekkie and Shadows Run. You all are totally awesome! XD See responses below:

_Wild's Daughter_ I attempted in this chapter to throw in a bit more Alaanis/Carth stuff. ;) Hope it suffices for now. I'm planning on throwing in more of the tension on Dantooine. It's a bit harder with Taris because it seems so urgent for me for them to get off and they've only known each other two weeks… But don't worry, that Angst as a second genre may eventually be replaced with Romance… and for sure there will be a sequel to this with more romance. ;) Heehee.

_Beatletrekkie_ Yeah, had to kill that damn rancor, but the synthesized odors seemed so convenient… it was too odd to be realistic. I'm trying to make this a bit more realistic than the game. I'm glad this is making the game funner. XD For me its weird playing the game after writing this because writing this gives me so much more freedom… heh, and I'm glad you enjoy the Bastila teasing. I don't do it in the game that much, but I love writing it!

_Shadows Run_ It seemed a bit unreal the way the character could kill so many people so easily, so I thought that instead of a massacre, it'd be a stealth mission. Unlike the next chapter in the sith base, hard to be stealthy with an angry Wookie on your side! And poking fun at Carth is just the highlight of Taris! XD

Hope y'all keep reading and reviewing. I love writing this fic! And I'm glad everyone enjoys reading it! I should have the next chapter up within a week or two. So, next chapter we shall see Bastila and Zaalbar (like I said, angry Wookie) trying to free Mission and Carth and Alaanis finding their way to the sith governor and the launch codes…

Until next time, review, review, and pet kitties. Lol. Oh and make sure you hug your ducks! XD By the by, I got the PC version of the game, but I need a different computer to play it on, so my house is having a computer switcheroo, so as soon as I start a game, I'm playing as Alaanis, because I never had a character named Alaanis Pi. Ironically, the name for Alaanis was a distortion of a random name on the second kotor game. I deformed whatever the name originally was to Alaanis Nalquin. But then I forgot her last name when I started writing this, so it became Pi. Weird history lesson eh? Well, I'm gone. ADIOS!

5-2-05


	9. Vanishing

Okay, pre apologies for any mistakes this time around, my internet was being evil so I took this short opportunity of it working to post it, so I didn't get a chance to send it to Shadow's Run for beta-reading. So, any mistakes, I'm sorry! Now… back to the angry Wookie!

XxXxX

**Chapter Eight: Vanishing**

Bastila Shan sliced through the flesh of yet another sith soldier. They seemed to be limitless, and yet she wasn't tiring at all. _The training of a Jedi,_ she thought to herself.

Besides her, Zaalbar the Wookie was furiously swiping with his blades, roaring angrily in his native language. Bastila understood his words, and his despair. The week she had spent with the Wookie and his best friend Mission Vao, she realized that they were as close as anything. Bastila understood how furious Zaalbar must be that the sith had captured Mission…

Her yellow lightsaber hummed and swooshed as she jerked it into the stomach of an approaching solider, and then used the force to push back a droid approaching her. Zaalbar was shoving off all the blaster shots that had pierced his flesh and they fed him, enraged him.

Bastila felt a sense of detachment as she killed dozens of nameless and faceless soldiers, working their way towards the heart of the base where they knew Mission was being held captive.

She could only hope Carth and Rev-… no she was not Revan. Bastila may not have known Darth Revan personally, but the young padawan knew that the woman she was traveling with was not Revan. She was Alaanis Pi, a young force-sensitive soldier of the republic, loyal to the republic.

_Nothing like Revan,_ Bastila thought to herself as she switched off her lightsaber and hurried forward past the dead bodies of at least twenty sith soldiers. _She's changed._

XxXxX

Carth Onasi and Alaanis Pi were having better luck than Bastila and Zaalbar. Since the Wookie and the Jedi were causing quite the commotion, the two republic soldiers found their paths rather clear except for a few sith patrols here and there.

Stealth was working for the two of them. Carth snagged Alaanis and pulled her into the shadows as a squadron of sith troopers hurried down the hallway towards the prison cells. _I guess they're protecting Mission from being rescued,_ Alaanis thought to herself.

After the soldiers had vanished from view, Alaanis and Carth hurried down the hallway. Alaanis had studied the plans for about half an hour, deducing that they could find they way towards a major air vent next to the laundry room and from there they could crawl through the air ducts until they reached the elevator. From there, they would go up to the next floor where the launch codes were being guarded by the sith governor of Taris.

"Carth!" she hissed, a few locks of her bright blonde hair dripping into her eyes. She'd need to chop off some of it when they got the chance. She pointed towards a room at the end of the hallway where a few laundry carts were sitting. Carth nodded and they ran over to the carts.

Unfortunately for them, timing was not on their side. As soon as they abandoned their cover of the shadows, three sith officers arrived at the other end of the hall.

"Hey!" one of them called, unsheathing his sword and running towards Alaanis and Carth. "You're not sith! What are you doing in here?"

Alaanis and Carth froze. They couldn't lie their way out of this one. Alaanis pulled out her swords quick as lightning and stabbed them both into the officer's chest. Carth ripped his blasters out of their holsters and began shooting at the other two officers. Alaanis rushed over to the other officers to meet them head on and attacked them with her vibroswords.

Swiftly, she jabbed her left sword into one officer's arm and pulled it out, leaving the soldier without an arm. Carth's blaster shot to the neck made his screaming stop. The other officer was already dead by Carth's fatal aim.

The short woman sighed and wiped the blood off of her sword. Just then more footsteps came from the direction the other officers had come from. She shot an urgent look to Carth and the two ran into the laundry room.

XxXxX

":This way:" Zaalbar roared. Bastila and the Wookie decided to try and outrun the sith instead of facing them head on. Bastila's mask was obscuring her vision slightly as it tipped, but instead of bothering to refit the mask, she used the force to see.

Using the force, she saw Zaalbar raging with vengeance for the sith and worry for his friend. She could hear his pleading thoughts for Mission to be all right.

After three minutes of outrunning the sith squadron, Bastila and Zaalbar arrived at a door.

"Many life forms beyond this," Bastila said quietly, seeing with the force. "I think this is where she is." She switched back on her lightsaber and threw one of the two blades into the lock of the door. In response to her action, the door flew open.

"Zaalbar!" Mission screeched. She was in a restraining cell. Bastila looked at it. It was much more elegant than the plain steel one she had been put in back when the Vulkers had captured her. If Mission touched the force field blocking her from the rest of the world, she'd be knocked unconscious.

But besides Mission in the room, there were practically fifty sith officers guarding her. Bastila flourished her blade in challenge and Zaalbar roared. The sith began shooting their blasters, and Bastila was a bit worried they might be outnumbered…

XxXxX

Alaanis continued crawling frantically through the maze of the air ducts. It would be hard to find their way to the elevator, even if they did have a copy of the blueprints with them, just in case.

"They're not following us Alaanis, you can relax slightly!" Carth shouted from behind. Alaanis didn't slow though. She had to keep hurrying. She had to get those launch codes. She could only hope that Bastila and Zaalbar could rescue Mission…

"AH!" she screamed as a panel below her broke as she stepped onto it with her knees. She slid forward and tumbled down onto a sith soldier. Carth jumped down after her and landed on another sith soldier. They were all holding blasters and firing towards two people… Bastila and Zaalbar! Alaanis and Carth had fallen right into the middle of a battle. But that meant…

"Alaanis!" screamed Mission's blue form, lying within a restraining cell. Alaanis knew that this was Bastila and Zaalbar's mission, but they were obviously outnumbered by more than just one. There had to be at least fifty officers.

"Come to help?" Bastila asked, swinging her lightsaber and leaping into the air so that she landed closer to Alaanis and Carth. Carth started firing his blasters and replied with a grunt.

"Of course," Alaanis smirked. "I'm never one to shy away from a battle." And with that she raised her vibroswords and attacked the closest soldier to her, decapitating him.

Slicing again and again, she boxed out the cries of agony from her swords cutting through armor and flesh. Beside her, Bastila was serenely swishing her double-bladed lightsaber every which way, blocking bullets and chopping up bodies. Then Alaanis realized that she hadn't been hit yet with a bolt.

_She's guarding me too,_ Alaanis thought to herself. Weird. Alaanis had thought Bastila would be more of a loner, not counting on others' help or helping others. Not that Alaanis didn't appreciate the effort… it would save her a lot of trouble treating her injuries later.

Halfway across the room, Zaalbar was chopping at the sith that dared to challenge the angry Wookie. His blades, sharpened earlier that day, cut through the armor and flesh so simply it looked like he was cutting air.

Soon enough, all of the sith were dead. Alaanis and Bastila hadn't suffered any serious injuries, Carth had a few choice blaster bolts in his left arm, but Zaalbar was the worst. He had blaster shots all over him and a few places where swords had cut him were bleeding.

Alaanis walked over to the restraining cell and freed Mission using the console. Soon enough, Mission threw herself onto the older woman.

"Alaanis!" she squealed. "Zaalbar! Carth! Bastila! You guys saved my life!" She hugged each of them in turn, taking her longest with Zaalbar. Then she studied the bloody Wookie. "You need some medical attention Big Z. We should go visit Zelka."

"I'll take them out of the base," Bastila volunteered. "We should be able to get out fine. We can handle it." She gave Alaanis a small smile and left with Zaalbar slightly hanging onto Mission.

":I'm so glad you're alright Mission:" the large Wookie growled fondly.

"I'm glad we're both alright Big Z," Mission grinned. Alaanis smiled, watching the three of them leaving and then turned back to Carth.

"Well," she said grinning. "I guess we've got to do this their way then."

XxXxX

Carth and Alaanis arrived back at the hideout long after midnight. After their fight with all the soldiers on their way and the sith governor (who was much tougher than he led on), they needed to stop at Zelka's for a couple hours and get some treatment. Once they arrived back at the base, Bastila, Mission and Zaalbar were fast asleep.

Both exhausted, they collapsed on the couch and fell asleep immediately.

"Now that is something amusing," Mission's voice said through giggles. Zaalbar was laughing lightly as well and as Alaanis opened her eyes she saw Bastila smirking down upon her.

That's when Alaanis realized what they were laughing at. She and Carth had both fallen asleep on the couch… together. And somehow while they were asleep, Carth's arm had snaked its way around Alaanis waist. Alaanis almost laughed herself as she pulled herself up out of his grasp and poked Carth in the stomach.

"What's everyone laughing at?" he asked groggily as he opened his eyes. Bastila was having a hard time suppressing laughter while Mission, Alaanis and Zaalbar were all practically rolling on the floor at Carth's dumbfounded look.

Carth wasn't very happy about everyone laughing. Alaanis eventually told him what had happened and he blushed crimson.

"Eh… sorry?" he suggested lightly while Alaanis sipped another mug of caffa. They were sitting on the floor of the apartment, each sipping a drink. Zaalbar was drinking some juma juice while Mission drank plain water and Bastila sipped her tea. Carth was having his own caffa.

"Don't be sorry," Alaanis winked. "It wasn't so bad." She grinned at him. Carth laughed nervously and blushed slightly harder while the rest of the group laughed outright at him.

"Anyways," Bastila said in a slightly more stern voice. She hadn't laughed, only smiled during the ordeal. "The launch codes are in your journal, right Alaanis?" she asked Alaanis. The blonde woman nodded her head and touched the datapad in her right pocket. "Well then we better get those codes over to Canderous. I think I can presume that he'll be in the cantina all day."

"Presuming he'll be getting drunk all day?" Alaanis asked with a grin. Bastila sniffed at her, proving Alaanis' guess correct. _Bastila really doesn't like Canderous, does she?_ Just the understatement of that thought almost made Alaanis burst out laughing.

"Either way, we'd better go meet him," Carth stepped in. "And we should all go. So that we understand the plan."

XxXxX

At one o'clock, Alaanis, Carth, Bastila, Mission, Zaalbar and T3 were all walking into Javyar's Cantina. This time, with the large group of them, they had a harder time passing by the guard to the Lower City. Bastila had to use her force powers to confuse him.

"The Jedi learn force tricks like that young?" Mission asked eagerly.

"It's a necessary asset on some missions when people don't comprehend the importance of a jedi mission," Bastila explained. "I learned these tricks when I was ten years old."

"How old are you now Bastila?" Mission questioned the jedi Padawan curiously. Alaanis herself had been wondering the same thing. Bastila couldn't have been over twenty, but she had to be at least sixteen.

"I'm nineteen Mission," Bastila informed her. "But age is not as important as experience, talent and skill."

"Yeah, everyone underestimates me because I'm fourteen. It's not like I haven't grown up in the middle of a gang war," Mission said sarcastically. Alaanis smiled knowingly at Carth. He grinned back. Bastila sounded like she wanted to say something, but stayed silent as they spotted Canderous, sitting at the bar.

"I heard there was a break-in at the sith base," Canderous grunted, turning around in his seat to see an odd crowd standing around him. A jedi, two republic soldiers, a teenage Twi'lek, a Wookie and a small astromech droid. "I know it was you. I also heard there was a Twi'lek captive that was rescued by a jedi and an angry Wookie. I know that was you too. And I also heard that the sith governor of Taris was murdered. And I know that was you as well."

"Yup," Alaanis smirked proudly. Canderous grinned at her. He finished the Tarisian ale he was drinking and slammed the cup down on the bar table. He dropped a credit chip and stood up. Alaanis could small the stench of the ale from where she was standing.

"Well, I've got a plan to get us off, as I said already. Since you have the launch codes, we can take my speeder to Davik's estate and rob his ship. Then we'll pick the rest of your crew up at your hideout," Canderous told them the plan. "But I can only bring two of you with me. I'll pretend I found some new recruits; Davik loves swoop races so he'll certainly be interested in the champion of the Annual Swoop Race joining the Exchange. So who else wants to come?"

Alaanis stared around her at the people with her. Mission and Zaalbar were not possible as they had been on Taris for so long, they could be recognized by somebody at the estate. Having a jedi would be a dead giveaway so Bastila was out. So Alaanis guessed Carth should be the one coming…

"I'll come," Carth said, stepping forward. Canderous smirked.

"Not too tough for you Republic?" the Mandalorian joked. Carth glared and shook his head negative. Alaanis rolled her eyes.

"So, Bastila, Mission, Zaalbar, T3, you guys wait at the apartment," Alaanis declared.

"We should be picking you up later tonight," Canderous said. "Expect us anytime. I'm not sure when we're going to get a chance to steal the Ebon Hawk. So don't go anywhere."

"Let's go then." Alaanis grinned. Carth simply glared at Canderous who had an amused look on his face.

"Let's go."

XxXxX

Davik Kang was the head of the Exchange on Taris. Everybody knew his name and that owing him a debt was a damn stupid idea. And almost everybody knew that he had recently hired a Mandalorian mercenary, Canderous Ordo, about two years ago.

Canderous was now leading 'Exchange hopefuls' Alaanis Pi and Carth Onasi through the enormous city of Taris to Davik's estate. He had met the young woman Alaanis only the previous day and yet she had already impressed him.

_Well, she did become the champion of the dueling ring, win the Annual Swoop Race and steal launch codes out of a sith military base,_ Canderous mentally told himself. He stole a glance back at Carth, still manning the controls. Carth eyes were not glaring at Canderous anymore. Instead, they had a determined look to them, staring straight ahead, beyond Canderous.

The Mandalorian shook his head. Republic was someone Canderous wished he could've worked without. He knew that Carth was good with a blaster, damn good he heard from the rumors of the base break-in, but was he any good besides that? It was obvious from the group of misfits Alaanis had carried around with her that she was the leader. Bastila, the jedi princess as Canderous had mentally dubbed her, seemed the voice of reason and stiffness. _Sounds like she's got a vibroblade up her ass…_

The small Twi'lek girl Canderous recognized. He had been in Javyar's cantina a lot, and so had Mission Vao. The small Twi'lek was often accused of cheating at Pazaak, but nobody was stupid enough to bring it up when she had her Wookie bodyguard Zaalbar around. Canderous had to respect Mission for her tough attitude. He wondered if she would've ever survived this long without her Wookie pal though…

"Fancy," Alaanis muttered, staring straight ahead at Davik Kang's home. It was a large five story building, with its own small swoop track, hanger, garage, training facilities, spice labs, slaves and pool. Canderous would leave those extravagant explanations to Davik, who loved to brag about his large estate… as well as the good security on all of it.

"Yeah, Davik loves to show off," Canderous replied, swerving the speeder to head towards the grand entrance (and it was quite grand) of the estate.

Walking into the estate, Alaanis tried to keep to herself the awe of the home… more like a palace really. Canderous smirked. He didn't find all of this that impressive. Then again, he didn't really find material possessions as pointless as everything Davik owned that impressive anyways. Carth was simply staring around, occasionally sparing a glare for Canderous.

Canderous was able to pass security easily being an agent of Davik, and once he, Alaanis and Carth were inside the entrance hall, Davik himself entered, along with a short man wearing a suit like a pilot's.

"Canderous!" Davik greeted his mercenary with a handshake and a business smile. The short man simply stood still in the background, his face impassive. Davik himself was wearing deep purple armor that looked completely impregnable. And quite flashy. Canderous was used to this armor, it was Davik's personal armor. Davik's grey hair revealed his true age, and his slightly wrinkled skin was covered in business warmth as he glanced upon Canderous' companions.

"I see you brought back-up Canderous," the short man in the background chuckled. "You're going soft aren't ya? Next time you'll be bringing along an army of your Mandalorian friends."

"You may be the newest kath hound of the pack, but you aren't top dog yet," Canderous growled at his competition. Calo Nord was the top bounty hunter in the galaxy. Canderous recalled Mission Vao, the little Twi'lek girl, talking about his skills as a bounty hunter. Canderous had to admit that Calo was a tough competitor. Nobody should have let Calo's height, which was minimal, judge who Calo was. He was one hardcore killing machine. He was usually seen wearing an old pilot suit he robbed off of his first victim when he became a bounty hunter. It was very tough material, being more than it seemed, the bright blue, orange and white shining from Calo's cleanliness with his favorite suit. He also wore the matching hood and goggles whenever in public. Rare few had seen Calo's eyes.

"No fighting," Davik said plainly. "I won't have my top two men killing each other. It's bad for business. I assume Canderous has a reasonable explanation for his companions." Then the older man gave Canderous a look that plainly said 'this better be good.'

"Davik, you may recognize this woman here as the swoop rider who won the Annual Swoop Race?" Canderous explained. Davik's expression lightened up considerably.

"That was some race miss," Davik commented. "One of the best runs I've seen. And I've seen a lot. So, what brings you here?"

"I am interested in joining the Exchange," Alaanis replied without skipping a beat. She smiled like a nervous interviewee. Canderous wouldn't have been shocked if she actually were interested in joining the Exchange; her acting skills were so well performed.

"Ah!" Davik exclaimed, obviously glad. "I see! Well, we're always looking for new and exciting people to join us in our lovely business. Come! Let me give you the grand tour!"

Canderous zoned out a bit during the typical tour of Davik's estate showing off all the different parts and pieces of the palace. He did notice Alaanis paying extra attention as Davik showed off his security system on the hangar. But Canderous had heard it all before. Finally, Davik and Calo led Canderous, Alaanis and Carth to the guest wing and Calo left with a last look at Alaanis as though he was confirming something.

"Now, you three shall stay in this wing for the next two days where I will do a background check on Miss Pi," Davik explained. Alaanis smiled gratefully. "I ask that you not venture beyond this wing. If you need anything at all, just ask the slaves at the far end of the hallway. If your background check goes fine, you will be asked to join the Exchange. I suggest you accept our offer Miss Pi."

"I would be overjoyed to," Alaanis answered. Canderous caught a hint of sarcasm in that one though. He smirked. Davik gave them a small bow and left. Alaanis fell down onto the bright and comfy white couch while Carth sat in a chair in the middle of the room Canderous stayed standing.

"Alright, so, we've got about three hours to get this done," Canderous explained. "I'll take care of the security, I have the codes."

"But what about the codes to the Ebon Hawk?" Alaanis asked. "We need those too."

Canderous swore under his breath. He had forgotten about that. A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts though. Alaanis answered the door and a male slave entered the room. Alaanis stared at the slave for a second before it became obvious that a thought had dawned on her.

"Hello fair mistress," the male slave, a human, said uniformly. "May I offer you some fruit? Or a massage?"

"A massage sounds perfect," Alaanis said grinning. Canderous almost laughed out loud as she sat on the couch and was massaged by the slave. He had an even harder time not laughing from looking at the look on Carth's obviously jealous face. If Carth Onasi was not obviously falling for Alaanis Pi, Canderous would've eaten his own arm.

"I have a question," Alaanis piped up.

"Yes Mistress?" the slave asked.

"Do you know where the codes for the Ebon Hawk security are located?" The slave stopped massaging Alaanis and stared at her. Alaanis obviously guessed the slave was a bit more loyal than that. "I will tell your master what a great job massaging me you did if you give me any information you have," Alaanis proposed persuasively.

"Well…" the slave muttered, beginning to massage Alaanis again. "In the torture chamber in the northernmost hall of this floor in this estate is a former pilot of the Ebon Hawk. He knows the codes."

"Why thank you slave," Alaanis turned around grinning. She handed him a fifty-credit chip. "I will tell you master what a great job you did. Don't you worry."

"Thank you most gracious mistress!" the slave said, overjoyed. He left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Well," Canderous cleared his throat. "That was rather easy."

"I'll go free the old pilot," Alaanis declared. "Canderous, you disable the security. Go with him Carth." Carth looked at Alaanis like she was crazy, but the woman had a determined look on her face. _Great,_ Canderous thought to himself. _I get to have Republic there as a tagalong._

But before either man could object, Alaanis shushed them as a guard passed by in the outside hallway. Carth gave her a look and Alaanis held a hand up to shush him until the footsteps of the guard disappeared.

"How could you tell there was a guard coming?" Carth questioned Alaanis suspiciously. "I didn't hear any footsteps coming." Canderous looked over at Alaanis who looked slightly nervous. The larger man hadn't heard any footsteps either.

"I… could sort of sense him," Alaanis admitted tentatively. Like she was scared of the concept itself. Before anybody could say anything else though Alaanis took on a 'back-to-business' look and hurried out into the hall, switching on her stealth generator as she moved.

"We better get moving too," Canderous grunted.

"I don't trust you Ordo," Carth spat bluntly. Canderous chuckled.

"Well, I don't like you either Republic," Canderous replied smirking. "So it's mutual. Now let's get to work disabling that security. Do you have any spikes? The console is in Davik's old office down a few halls."

"I've got some spikes," Carth told the Mandalorian, slapping his small pouch that held a few supplies. "Let's go."

XxXxX

_How did I do that?_ Alaanis asked herself as, invisible, she ran down hallway after hallway, looking for the room the slave had mentioned. She looked at her automatic map. Alaanis loved her personal journal. She held inventory in it, it took note of important details, and it automatically mapped everything. It had been a gift from her father and brothers when she had first left home to become a smuggler.

_Stop thinking of home Alaanis,_ she shook her head and almost yelled at herself out loud except that a couple guards were walking down the hall and she thinned against the wall, evening her heavy breathing.

But what happened when she had sensed the Rodian guard had confused her. And the way Carth had looked at her, like he was almost scared of her. She was scaring herself. Alaanis tried blanking her mind. Thinking and accomplishing a mission were two hard things to do at once.

All of a sudden, a sudden surge of… _something_… told Alaanis she was in front of the room where the former pilot was. Quickly enough she opened the door and immediately felt danger.

And danger there was. Two torture droids, who were aiming their devices at a victim in the cage Alaanis could've only assumed to be the former pilot, turned towards Alaanis. She felt pain pouring over her as the stealth field generator faded and the torture droids began shooting their disruptor rifles at her.

It was hard, but somehow Alaanis pulled through the pain and chucked an ion grenade at the droid, chasing after the grenade with her two vibroswords in hand. Slicing off the many arms of the droids (all holding different torture tools) was easy enough, but it didn't make much of a difference with their disruptor rifles built into the heads of the droids. Alaanis swung and swung again, chopping at the droids until she could knock them down. Finally, one fell and collapsed onto the ground. The other continued firing at Alaanis, her body ached in extreme pain.

Alaanis screamed as one of the torture implements went through her arm. It was sharp, like a needle, and she felt her arm getting paralyzed. Her left arm… it wasn't working properly anymore. Her vibrosword collapsed onto the ground and Alaanis continued screaming, the pain hurting her so much…

_Keep moving Alaanis!_

The voice came from within Alaanis' head… but it wasn't her own voice. It was… Bastila's!

_What are you doing in my mind!_

_Pick yourself up Alaanis, I'll explain later. But there won't be a later if you don't keep fighting._

Kill curiosity, Alaanis threw herself onto her right arm and ignored the hurt and usefulness of her left arm. She picked herself up, and holding both vibroswords in one hand, she threw her entire body weight onto the droid. It collapsed onto the ground and Alaanis sighed as she fell onto something painful, black blinding her.

"Are you alright?" a voice called.

Alaanis opened her eyes. "How long have I been unconscious?" she asked, looking into the eyes of a man she had seen just before she was knocked out… oh yes! It was the pilot!

"Only for about five minutes," the pilot replied. "By the way, thank you for falling onto the switch to let me out of that cage. I don't know if I could've lasted much longer in that cage. I'd give you a reward for saving me, but eh, I don't really have anything."

"You have the codes to the Ebon Hawk's personal security right?" Alaanis said, cringing from her left arm, still aching. She grabbed a medpac from her oversized bag and stuffed the kolto needle into her left arm. It didn't ease the pain, but the sting that had been there before dissipated.

"Uh, yeah I do," the pilot told her. He grabbed her journal that had sprawled onto the floor when she fell and typed in the code. "Enjoy." The pilot smiled at her and left the room.

Alaanis cringed and swore as she picked herself up from the floor the pilot had rolled her onto. Throwing her hunter green bag onto her back, she ran out of the room and switched on her stealth generator.

It took her about ten minutes, but she found her way to Davik's former office Canderous had mentioned to her before at the start of the speeder ride to Davik's estate earlier that day. Carth and Canderous were nowhere to be seen. But the console was blinking like a notice was left behind.

'Ebon Hawk. Now.' The notice said. 'Map in console.' Alaanis downloaded the map the notice spoke about into her console and followed it, still invisible to the hangar where she was greeted by Carth and Canderous standing by the boarding ramp of the Ebon Hawk, looking in the opposite direction of Alaanis.

Before Alaanis had a chance to admire the handiwork of their job stealing the Ebon Hawk, a sudden bolt shooting down from above somewhere in space entered the hangar, followed by the rumblings of many more. Carth and Canderous ran onto the Hawk, spotting Alaanis on their way. Carth did notice how injured Alaanis was, but the most she knew he could do was to wait until she got onto the ship after them.

"Hurry! I KNEW those sith would turn on us. If they don't stop blasting us, we're all going to be dead!" came the voice of Davik Kang from the opposite entrance to the hangar, following by none other than Calo Nord. "We'll get onto the Ebon Hawk and leave this damned planet!" Then he spotted Alaanis. "Thief! Trying to steal my ship eh? Not so fast!" Davik lifted his blaster rifle and aimed it for Alaanis.

She dodged his shot just in time, landing on her left arm. She screamed in intense pain as she chucked her sonic grenade at Davik. It flung him backwards into the wall. She heard a loud crunch as his neck snapped.

"Not so fast!" came Calo's voice as Alaanis hurried towards the Ebon Hawk. He was holding something small and shiny in his right hand.

"A thermal detonator!" Alaanis' eyes widened. That thing would blow them all up.

"I'm sure, though, that you would be a very valuable prize unharmed," Calo smirked, lowering his hand, setting his blaster to stun and aiming it. "Goodnight Re-"

Just then, another bolt of the sith's guns shot down into the hangar… exactly where Calo was standing. He screamed as the bolt fell down upon him, murdering him. Alaanis was slightly confused about what Calo was about to say, but was also outraged that he planned on selling her as a slave. Both of those emotions were gone within seconds though as she realized that she needed to get onto the ship.

Running up the boarding ramp of the Ebon Hawk, Alaanis fell onto the floor of the Ebon Hawk and found herself unconscious again.

XxXxX

"How is the bombardment coming?"

Darth Malak questioned his admiral of the sith fleet, a loyal soldier of his: Saul Karath.

"Wonderfully," Saul answered with a bow. "But… one ship got past us."

"It does not matter," Malak growled. "Continue the bombardment. Wipe this pathetic planet off the face of the galaxy. It has had a downfall coming its way for some time. Lets give it a head start."

"But sir…" Saul stuttered. "What about our men on the surface? What about the countless billions of innocents on the planet's surface?"

"Do not question me!" Malak shouted. He glared down at Saul. "I am in a merciful mood, but do NOT question me again soldier." Saul bowed his head.

"Yes sir."

Saul walked away from the bridge of the Leviathon, leaving Malak to stare at the destruction of Taris gleefully.

_Soon Bastila will be dead,_ Malak thought to himself.

"Sir!" a lone voice called. A young and small-ranking soldier ran past Saul who was walking away. The younger soldier ran up to Darth Malak. "She's gone! Bastila Shan has vanished!"

XxXxX

FINALLY! TARIS IS COMPLETE! Lol, sorry, I'm just so happy that I finally finished Taris. It felt like it took forever (perhaps because it did). Anyways, mucho thanks to the reviewers, because those reviews make me VERY happy. XD

_Wild's Daughter _– Yeah, I'm not the best with subtle romance. I mean, it'll be easier for me since Taris is done because its on Dantooine that everything between Alaanis and Carth is really starting. At least as far as I've been planning. Anyways, Dantooine will last a long while. Unlike Taris, which I wanted to get done quickly, Dantooine is something I'd like to take my time with. By the by, your suggestions are always welcome! I'm not one of those people who ignores all suggestions! If you do have any suggestions for subtle romance between Carth and Alaanis, feel free to email me. XD

_Beatletrekkie_ – I love that line too lol. And as you can see in this chapter, there's a bit more force-sensitivity involved. And Calo almost spills the beans! How could he!

So, until the next chapter, REVIEW LIKE CRAZY, burn finals, and sacrifice snails (why snails? I have no idea). Oh and a personal announcement that makes me sad. I decided to turn vegetarian a couple days ago (I tried a few years ago and failed lol) but on top of that, my doctor told me yesterday that I'm lactose intolerant. Therefore, I'm basically a vegan. Dangit. And there was ice cream cake yesterday! XcriesX Eh. Sorry, im being weird and just imforming everybody of that now.

Oh and by the by, this chapter is only like thirteen pages so its not as long as the previous few. Sorry. I just REALLY wanted to get this chapter done. And I needed the ending line to be "she's vanished!" Anyways, REVIEW PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE. And I shall see you soon!

5-7-05


	10. SB1: Just a Couple of Padawans

Now, I'm sorry I forgot to announce this, but I have been planning this for some time. Between each planet, I will randomly include a 'memory' (no, Alaanis is not actually dreaming of this stuff) of Revan's.

I have one in Chasing Answers called 'Broken Jedi' (that will most likely eventually be one of these story breaks) and also one entitled Heart's Desire (that was specifically made to be one of these story breaks). But this one is a different one. By the by, the character Sienna? Three guesses as to whom that is. It's not too hard really. XD

XxXxX

**Story Break One: Just a Couple of Padawans**

"MALAK!"

A short female human girl was screaming her lungs out. Only nine years old, she had quite the set of lungs.

"Revan… what are you doing to her Malak?"

Out of the tree above came another human girl, the same age as the other human girl. She was staring at the sight of a human boy named Malak holding the other human girl named Revan upside down as if it happened every other day. Of course… a sight like this did happen at least once a week.

"Sienna," Malak began, dropping Revan's legs. Revan fell down onto the grassy ground of the courtyard of the Dantooine jedi enclave with an 'oof'. "Spying in the tree again?"

"Don't worry Malak," Revan reassured the boy. "Sienna won't lift you up with the force unless I ask her to. Which I may do if you do that again."

"You excel past me in all of our classes, brute strength is the only thing I have that you don't Rev," Malak told the girl. "Well, except in meditation, Sienna is much better. And all the other non-physical classes. In fact, Siena's probably your equal Rev."

Sienna laughed. "Well, either way, we're both higher and mightier than you Mal," she chuckled. Revan laughed as well.

"Reeeeeal funny," Malak mumbled.

"Come on, let's go get some dinner," Sienna called out to her companions. She, Revan and Malak retreated back into the jedi enclave. The halls of the enclave were recently new. In fact, the entire enclave was pretty new. The enclave was only built four years ago, the year before all three nine-year-olds arrived at the enclave within the same month. They had been inseparable since then.

They raced and laughed as they hurried through the halls of the enclave, accidentally hitting a few jedi knights on their way. Most of the ones who were at the enclave often were used to this. Revan, Sienna and Malak were always making a scene. Well, usually Revan and Malak. Sienna was a bit smarter than to upset the masters. Revan, though smart she was, loved attention, good or bad. Malak simply found fun in whatever Revan found fun.

"Beat you both!" Sienna called once she arrived at the cafeteria. Revan arrived within a few seconds and soon after her came Malak, the muscular bald boy panting, his pale skin sweating lightly.

"You used the force Revan!" he exclaimed. "Cheater!"

"I still didn't win," Revan pointed out grudgingly, tucking some of her loose deep brown, practically black hair, behind her small ears. Her green eyes pierced Sienna, as though she was attempting to read the other girl's mind.

"You haven't learned how to read minds yet Revan," Sienna chuckled. "Don't even try." Sienna was a bit taller than Revan, but both girls were rather short. Sienna was very thin, but Revan was more average. And in contradiction to Revan's long dark hair, Sienna had dirty blonde hair down to her shoulders. Her deep blue eyes laughed merrily as Revan continued to try and read her mind.

"Give it up already Revan," Malak groaned, his brown eyes rolling. "I want some food and trying to read Sienna's mind isn't going to get us food any faster."

"Alright," Revan resigned. "Let's go then." Sienna gave a smirk to Malak as though saying 'I knew it wouldn't have worked'. The three companions sat down at a table near the food and walked over to it with their trays and gathered up their dinners.

"Hey!" Revan shouted as the last dessert was taken by Sienna. "I wanted that!"

"We'll share Rev," Sienna said plainly. Revan pouted slightly. As the three sat down with their food, Revan decided to use her lessons in a way that she enjoyed.

Using the force, Revan lifted up the dessert from Sienna's plate. "Revan!" the other girl exclaimed. Revan was grinning wickedly as she moved the dessert closer to her and closer and…

"Revan!" a masculine voice called out as the dessert flew away from both Sienna and Revan. Both girls looked over to see none other than Jedi Knight Vrook. He was rumored to soon become a jedi master and start teaching at the enclave. He was also very strict and didn't have much respect for Revan or Malak. And even Sienna, who had never back-spoken to him like Revan had, was disliked by association.

"You should not use the force for such frivolous things!" Vrook lectured. "The force is a gift and a burden, not one that should be taken lightly! And Revan, taking from other people is completely unnecessary and against the code. You should be able to live without a dessert for one evening. I'll be taking this."

Vrook walked away, the dessert in hand while Sienna glared at him. She really didn't like Vrook much. She had never disrespected him, and if he hadn't been so hard on Revan in the past, Sienna would've greatly respected him. But the way he insulted Sienna's friends just made her angry.

_Remember the code Sienna,_ the young girl told herself. _There is no emotion, there is serenity…_

But even the jedi code couldn't calm her anger at the strict knight's rudeness.

"If he wants to be a master so badly," Sienna voiced aloud, sipping her drink. "He should learn to get along better with the padawans like us."

"You know Vrook," Malak commented. "He doesn't like Revan at all. And because you and I are friends with Revan, he doesn't like us either."

"I think he might not like you because you called him a Stinky Krayt Dragon Mal," Revan said slyly.

"It slipped okay?" Malak blushed slightly. "Nobody should be mean to you Rev, only Sienna and I have that privilege."

"But only you are stupid enough to actually do such a thing Malak. Everybody knows that nobody can beat Revan in anything," Sienna pointed out. Revan beamed proudly. "Except for me," Sienna added, sticking out her tongue at Revan who gave her the evil eye. Malak simply laughed.

Even though Sienna continued to stay angry with Vrook, she couldn't help but enjoy the company of her two closest friends. She, Revan and Malak continued their conversation as it led further away from Vrook, and closer to what kind of heroes they thought they would be when they became jedi knights themselves…

"I'll save the entire galaxy from an evil sith lord," Revan declared.

"Yeah, me," Malak joked. Sienna laughed.

"I'll just be a regular old knight, helping anybody and everybody," Sienna decided.

"Oh you're no fun Sienna!" Revan cried. "You gotta think bigger!"

"Then I'll fight side by side with you Revan, against all the evil sith lords that dare threaten our galaxy," Sienna said smiling. "They won't stand a chance."

"Of course not!" Revan shouted. "Because there are no better jedi than Revan Kombi and Sienna Vaas! The two greatest jedi knights in the history of the jedi order!"

"Hey!" Malak said. "What about me?" he whined.

"Eh… you can be our minion," Revan smirked at him. Malak frowned. Sienna laughed.

"Maybe our brute strength?" Sienna suggested. Revan shook her head. "Too ugly."

"I heard that!"

Sienna and Revan began laughing uncontrollably.

XxXxX

Sorry its kinda short, but these story breaks aren't supposed to be as long as the chapters. By the way, thanks for the review _Resident roach code metallica_, all reviews are greatly appreciated! XD Don't worry, the story will be back on track quite soon, I just have been wanting to do this since I basically started the story (as an in-between each planet thing). Hope you enjoyed this quick little comedic relief! Adios! Review please, as much as I wish it, I cannot read minds!

5-9-05


	11. Onto Dantooine

Again, pre-apologies if I screwed up in spelling and grammer. I tried my best to edit it! I was planning on sending it to Shadows Run (sorry that I didn't!) but I felt like I already took forever to get this out. So… enjoy! 

The 'Every-Five' Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own this stuff. Not even in my dreams. Hm… maybe I should start dreaming of owning this stuff. That'd be fun. Yay. Dreams. But, anyways, back on topic, I own none of this. Not even the plot. Wah. I usually own the plot.

**Chapter Nine: Onto Dantooine**

"Alaanis?" A frantic voice was calling her name. She tried to open her eyes but it was hard once the pain in her body returned, making her cringe. But somehow, Alaanis Pi managed to open her eyes to see a very worried Carth Onasi leaning over her.

Trying to sit up, her body protested. Alaanis lay back down on some bed that must've been in the Ebon Hawk. "Well, I'm in pain," Alaanis whispered, that being all she could do. Carth smiled and Alaanis could hear Canderous' familiar grunt of laughter. Even though she hadn't known the Mandalorian very long, his laughter was quite distinguishable.

"Where's everyone else?" Alaanis asked the two men.

"Bastila's piloting the ship," Carth explained. "She and I have been taking turns. It's fairly late so she decided to take the night shift. Zaalbar is around somewhere on the ship, probably tinkering with T3 a little bit. He's been a nervous wreck since Mission locked herself in the starboard dormitory, asleep by the time Bastila goes to sleep, and staying there moping when she's awake. She's still bummed about the destruction of Taris."

"Destruction of Taris!" Alaanis half-shouted. She sat up, but as she did, her body sent her signals of extreme pain. Taris was destroyed? When? "When did this happen? How long have I been unconscious?"

Carth looked slightly taken aback by Alaanis' surprise. He guessed that she knew about all of this already. Canderous interrupted though. "You seem to be in better condition, so I guess I don't have to work on making anything else for you do I?"

"You've been making stuff for me while I was unconscious?" Alaanis questioned confusedly.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good with injuries," Canderous told her shrugging. He gathered up a small bag of his things and walked out of the small room.

"So this is…?" Alaanis asked Carth to break the silence.

"This is the medical bay of the Ebon Hawk," Carth told her. "I'd give you the grand tour and everything but you're sort of incapacitated."

"I had no idea," Alaanis said sarcastically. She smirked. "But back to business, how long have I been unconscious?"

Carth mumbled something unintelligible. Alaanis arched an eyebrow. "Alright, alright," Carth grumbled. "You've been out of it for a good five days now."

"Five days!" Alaanis exclaimed. "So what happened during those five days?"

"First of all, Bastila dragged you into the medical bay while Canderous fired the gun turrets at some sith ships that followed us once we got past the quarantine," Carth began. "I piloted the ship, swerving and diving and all that fancy stuff so that we wouldn't get too blasted by the sith. We got a few choice hits on us, but T3 held the ship together enough to keep us floating in space. It took us about three days to get all the repairs done. But we've been arguing on where to go, so we decided to wait until you woke up to see what we'd do.

"And about the destruction of Taris, you remember those bolts that were shooting down onto the planet? They basically demolished all civilization on Taris. Not a single story above two floors was left standing." Alaanis felt her heart grow heavy with this news. All those people on the planet... the Beks whom she had given the winning of the Swoop Gang War to, Matrix and Dia whose bounty's she had removed, the outcasts who she sent to The Promised Land. She only hoped that, being on the lowest level of the planet, the outcasts had lived.

"Mission must be feeling horrible," Alaanis murmured, finally registering what Carth had said about Alaanis locking herself in the dormitory. "Her home was destroyed."

"She'll get over it," Carth muttered half-heartedly. "She's young. She'll bounce back."

"Carth," Alaanis stopped him. "You of all people should know that it's not that easy to forget something as devastating as that. Have you ever gotten over the destruction of Telos? I don't think you have. And I don't think Mission will either." Alaanis yawned. "I'm rather tired Carth. I'll talk with everyone after I get some sleep." And with that she rolled over in the medical bay bed and went to sleep.

Carth stared at Alaanis for a few minutes, thinking about what she had said. She was right; he never had gotten over Telos' destruction. It was a scar he would carry with himself forever, he felt. And Mission would feel the same way.

Leaving Alaanis to sleep alone, Carth walked around the Ebon Hawk. He always felt more at home on a ship since Telos had been destroyed. And the Ebon Hawk was one nice ship. Two mid-sized dormitories, its own swoop hangar (and swoop included), a small medical bay, a comfortable common room, a nice security system, a cockpit Carth felt comfortable in, and it was one hell of a fast ship. Davik hadn't been exaggerating when he bragged about his little ship being so fast and maneuverable, Carth had experienced that firsthand.

Carth found himself soon enough in front of the closed girls dormitory. He wondered if the door was still locked. Mission usually was courteous enough to unlock the door before she fell asleep for Bastila to get in to sleep. Carth tried opening the door, and it opened up revealing Mission sitting on a bunk, staring down at a picture.

"What's up Mission?" Carth asked the young Twi'lek. Mission looked up at him with tears in her eyes and a fierce look.

"What are you doing in here?" she yelled. She didn't want Carth in there. Mission stood up and ran at Carth as though trying to shove him out of the room. But him being an experienced soldier and Mission just being a teenage scoundrel, she couldn't even get him to move. Instead, she backed off and fell back onto her bunk, crying harder.

"Mission, I understand what you're going through," Carth said lightly.

"No you don't! Nobody here does!" Mission screamed. "Bastila was raised at the Jedi temple, Big Z's home is still accessible to him if he wanted to go back to Kashyyyk, Alaanis could go back to her home if she wanted to, and Canderous doesn't need a home. And you have a home too Carth! I don't know where it is, but you can go back there. I can't!"

She began sobbing again. Carth stepped forward and leaned down on one knee to be at her height sitting on the bunk. "I don't have a home either Mission," he said slowly. Damn, he was going to spill to Mission what he had already told Alaanis wasn't he? "Mine was Telos. Malak destroyed mine too. The evil bastard."

"Yeah," Mission hiccoughed. "He is an evil bastard. I wish I could be back on Taris. I miss it there. Like, when my brother and me both used to be there. Even after my brother left, I could still find this one spot where there was a fun memory and remember the good times with him."

"You have a brother Mission?" came a voice from the doorway.

Carth was shocked to see Alaanis standing in the doorway, her left arm in a makeshift sling. Alaanis was leaning against the doorway, smiling at the two of them.

"Yeah," Mission told Alaanis, rubbing her nose on her sleeve. "His name's Griff. He and I were close as anything. After our parents died, I forget where we lived because I was really little, only four or something; he brought me with him to Taris. We were stowaways, but it didn't matter to me. I was glad to be somewhere else. Griff basically brought me up. He taught me how to hack into computers, how to play Pazaak the right way, and how to sneak through vents, sewers, and everything else.

"I mean, he wasn't perfect, he got drunk all the time and he was always in debt to someone. He lied too much and spent most of his time stealing, but when he was with me, he treated me right, like big brothers should." Mission smiled proudly. Then her smile faltered. "Then this cantina rat Leena came along and sucked him dry of all the little credits we had. So, to make sure he got more credits, she made him leave me and dragged him off-planet! They didn't even tell me where they'd gone! I mean, I was twelve and I could look for myself, but it sucked to see Griff go like that. I miss him."

Alaanis sat down beside Mission and squeezed her shoulders. "Siblings are things we always miss. You've heard me talk of my three brothers right? They never taught me everything Griff taught you, but they taught me some important stuff too. Especially Kale, who taught me how to use a sword. But I miss them everyday since I left Deralia."

"Yeah, brothers are just something you miss," Mission sighed and leaned onto Alaanis' shoulder.

"Is that what's in the picture you're holding?" Carth asked her. "Your brother?" Mission nodded and held the picture up. It showed her at what looked like eleven or so and what must've been Griff, a lanky yellow Twi'lek with a goofy smile on his face. He had one arm around Mission.

"This was around the beginning of the Swoop Gang War," Mission informed them. "Gadon was known widely as the best swoop leader. He was a great man. I really hope he didn't die... he's too good really. Good people can't die. Or, at least they shouldn't. But Griff wasn't really liked by the Beks, but they happened to love me. So they took our picture, for me."

Silence reigned for a few minutes. Then Carth cut into the silence. "Mission," he started. "I'm sorry Taris was destroyed. And I'm sorry about your brother. But you see, life is all about just going through these tough times. Getting over them all."

"Thanks Carth," Mission yawned and smiled. She had stopped crying a few minutes ago. She tucked the picture under her pillow. "I appreciate everything you said. You too Al." She smiled again, closed her eyes, and fell asleep on Alaanis' shoulder.

Alaanis smiled as she moved slowly, setting Mission's head onto her pillow. Carth stood up and stepped out of her way and watched Alaanis. She was so sweet with Mission when she needed it. It was kind of amusing, seeing this strong woman who could destroy the entire sith armada if she was given the chance tuck in a teenage Twi'lek.

"Good to hear that you can talk about Telos Carth," Alaanis smiled at him as they left the dormitory.

"I think I have you to thank," Carth grinned back. They ended up in the common room and sat down on a small couch in the room. "And I'm sorry for being hypocritical."

"You don't have to keep apologizing Carth," she told him, looking him in the eye. "I'm just glad to know that you're starting to open up your shell a bit more." Alaanis felt extra sleepy now. Canderous had probably shot with her some sort of thing that made her sleepy. She started leaning on Carth since he was so close to her.

"Tired much?" he asked her. Alaanis blushed and giggled a bit.

"What gave it away?" she asked him sarcastically.

"Perhaps the way your head is leaning on my shoulder."

"It's a comfy shoulder."

"Glad to hear it."

There was a short pause.

"Hey Alaanis?"

"What Carth?"

"I'm glad that you didn't die on the Endar Spire." Alaanis almost burst out laughing. That had to be one of the most amusing things she had ever heard.

"Happy to hear you don't want me dead," Alaanis said, barely restraining laughter. Carth started laughing too, realizing what a stupid thing he had said.

"What I should say," Carth explained after their laughter subsided. "Is that I'm glad to have you as part of this crew, wherever we're going."

"Yay."

And with that last sentiment, Alaanis fell asleep. Carth, feeling sleepy himself, decided he didn't want another reenactment of when they had both been too tired to move before. He picked Alaanis up and placed her back in the medical bay bed, making sure to be gentle with her left arm.

Observing Alaanis, Carth wasn't sure why but for some reason Alaanis looked more peaceful than usual. _No that I watch her much,_ Carth scolded himself.

_Stop lying to yourself Onasi. You know you watch her all the time. You like her don'tcha?_

Carth couldn't shut up the blunt voice in his head. It was telling him the truth. He had never opened up to anyone but Alaanis really. Even when he was talking to Mission, he couldn't help but feel like he couldn't tell her everything.

Alaanis was something nice to watch though. Her short blonde hair was beginning to grow down a bit past her ears. The roots were darker than the rest; he wondered if her hair was dyed or not. _Real normal thoughts Onasi. Real normal._ He shook his head. Her skin looked as pale as always. It was almost as though she had been in the dark confines of space all her life.

But coming back to his other thoughts, he couldn't deny that he was indeed falling for Alaanis. It might've been nothing, but he couldn't help but admire the woman. He knew she was fairly young, only around twenty-seven (though sometimes she enjoyed acting even younger), and he himself was thirty-four. But... why was he even thinking about this?

_Must've been the sleepiness_, Carth thought to himself as he yawned. He walked towards the port dormitory where he heard Canderous' snore. Falling down onto the bunk closest to the door, Carth fell asleep.

XxXxX

"We need to find refuge and Dantooine can provide that!" Bastila exclaimed for the zillionth time. The crew was debating on where to go next. "There is a jedi enclave on the planet where we can take refuge, and I myself need to report back there anyways."

"But if we stay anywhere too long we'll surely get attacked by the sith," Carth sighed exasperatedly. Mission rolled her eyes and leaned back onto Big Z's furry exterior. The entire crew was crowded into the common room. Mission and Zaalbar were sitting on the couch Alaanis and Carth had been on last night, Carth and Bastila were standing and debating with each other. Canderous was standing halfway in the background, amused at the situation. Alaanis was shaking her head, leaning on a chair.

"Let's just go to Dantooine," Alaanis finally said. "I don't think Malak is stupid enough to attack there. Plus, we've been off their track for days, they won't find us anytime soon."

Carth pouted slightly. "Come on Carth, it's not like we're going to be living there for a decade or something. Just a few weeks probably. Bastila made some good points on this destination. Sitting around in space isn't going to do a thing. So let's just go to Dantooine."

"Whatever the princess wants," Canderous chuckled in the background. Carth and Alaanis walked into the cockpit and Mission challenged Zaalbar to another round of Pazaak. Zaalbar, being so bored, actually accepted. Mission was one hell of a Pazaak player and most of the crew had learned in the past three weeks to never play with her, unless they played Republic Senate rules, where no credits were bid.

Bastila, instead of following Alaanis and Carth into the cockpit, followed Canderous into the swoop hangar where she found him tinkering with his Mandalorian repeater. Quite a powerful weapon the jedi admitted, but the lightsaber was probably the top weapon of them all if you asked her.

"'Princess'?" Bastila asked the Mandalorian.

"Well, considering how spoiled you seem, and how you act all high and mighty and superior to everyone on here, it seemed fitting," Canderous spat without even turning around from the workbench as Bastila approached him.

"I know I am not perfect," Bastila told him with pursed lips. "I don't think you Mandalorians know the same thing about yourselves. All too busy about earning your sacred 'honor'. Selfish is what I call it."

"I could say the same thing to you, only switching the word Mandalorian with Jedi," Canderous chuckled. He then turned around and smirked at Bastila. "You're so prissy and proper, thinking you're better than me. I consider you a good warrior, but your ego's too big."

"MY EGO IS TOO BIG?" Bastila shouted. Then she remembered the jedi code. _There is no emotion, there is serenity._ "Stop baiting me," she growled.

"Nah," Canderous smiled at her, but to her it looked like a sneer.

XxXxX

All the way in the cockpit, Alaanis and Carth were smiling, laughing and sighing, listening to the shouts of Bastila and the growls of Canderous.

"Think they'll ever get along?" Alaanis asked the pilot.

"I don't think Canderous makes friends that easily. Same with Bastila," Carth decided.

"I'd consider them my friends," Alaanis shrugged.

"Well, if you look around our crew, you'd know you have some weird friends," Carth chuckled.

"So?"

XxXxX

"You jedi are so ignorant!" Canderous exclaimed. "Revan had the right idea when she went off to fight in the Mandalorian Wars. I have more respect for that woman, dead as she may be, than any other woman in history or existence!"

"The jedi counsel had its reasons!" Bastila shouted back, her brown eyes blazing. Canderous had stopped chuckling and now the two were screaming across the swoop hangar like there were fifty Wookies performing loud ancient rituals between them.

"What reason eh?" asked Canderous in a low growl of his grizzly voice. "I bet if you were old enough yourself and didn't act like you had a blaster up your ass you would've joined them!"

"How dare you!" Bastila yelled. Her porcelain face was turning red with fury. "The jedi counsel saw the real threat, and wise as they are, decided not to join in the war!"

"Well, if it hadn't been for Revan, the entire galaxy would be speaking Mandalorian about now," Canderous pointed out. His grey eyes were narrowed at Bastila and though he towered over her, he could find this woman to be his equal, not only in battle, but in this argument as well. But he wasn't thinking about that right about now.

"You Mandalorians are so insufferable!" Bastila huffed. Canderous almost rolled his eyes.

"What a hypocrite," he mumbled. Bastila glared at him for a minute before leaving the swoop hangar. "You're not worth my time," he heard her mutter as she left. _Still high and mighty eh Princess?_

Bastila ended up sitting on the floor of the starboard dormitory, meditating all day long while Canderous kept himself in the swoop hangar, working on his repeater at the workbench. Both were still simmering from their argument.

"Those two won't ever get along will they Big Z?" Mission asked with a sigh as she flipped over a ten card in her and the Wookie's Pazaak game in the common room.

":The oddest pair can be fit together from two that do nothing but fight:" Zaalbar said wisely. ":Maybe in time they'll forget their differences and finally get along.:" He flipped over a five card.

"I don't know Zaalbar," Mission shook her head. She flipped over a second ten card and beamed. "Glad we're playing Republic Senate rules aren't you? Otherwise you'd be broke by now." Zaalbar growled a response. Mission laughed.

XxXxX

Alaanis had left Carth to relax in the pilot's seat of the cockpit long ago. The ship was on route to Dantooine in hyperspace, so Alaanis was left with nothing in particular to do.

Mission and Zaalbar had finished up their game of Pazaak and so now both were in the swoop hangar with Canderous. Peeking her head in, Alaanis saw that the three of them were each upgrading their weapons with some special modifications Canderous had. Mission was chatting quickly as usual while Canderous nodded and shook his head.

Alaanis felt like resting a little. _Maybe a nap would do me some good_, she thought to herself, retreating to the starboard dormitory. As soon as she entered the dormitory though, she saw Bastila sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor meditating. She opened her eyes and lifted her head to see Alaanis. "Hello."

"I'm sorry," Alaanis apologized. "I didn't mean to interrupt you." She began to walk out.

"No it's quite alright," Bastila commented. The brunette smiled at the blonde and the older woman sat down on her bunk and relaxed back onto it.

"I have a question for you Bastila," Alaanis said suddenly after a short pause, her eyes still closed.

"Yes?" Bastila asked, uncrossing her legs and facing towards Alaanis' still figure lying on the bed. Alaanis hesitated for a second. But not for much longer than a second.

"Carth said you specially requested for me to join the Endar Spire," Alaanis mentioned. "And I wanted to know why that was exactly."

"We needed someone like you in the Republic," Bastila began. "I had heard about you when you joined the Republic. Caught by us smuggling spice or whatever it was that you were carrying. And somehow, whenever you were mentioned, you were named as loyal. It was odd though to see someone who had done such illegal things become such an asset, and such a well… good person."

"But why did you think I was a good person?" Alaanis asked, sitting up and facing Bastila. "You had never met me."

"Exactly," Bastila replied. "I wanted to meet you. I had heard so much about Alaanis Pi, quite the smuggler. I also heard tales of when you lived on your home planet and scouted through all those wilds. I knew it must've been tough, and I admired that. And we needed loyal soldiers on the Endar Spire. Good people. You were a good and loyal person. Still are as far as I can tell."

"Thanks Bastila," Alaanis smiled at the younger woman.

"It's the truth," Bastila nodded her head in respect. "And I think the force had this arranged for us. For us to meet. Because it appears you are a force-wielder. And could be a jedi. If the council agrees that is."

The two women sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until another unanswered question popped into Alaanis' mind. "How did you talk to me inside my mind in Davik's estate?" Alaanis blurted out.

Bastila looked up at Alaanis on the bed. "Since it seems that you indeed are a force-sensitive individual, we may have formed a force bond that sometimes allows certain close individuals to communicate using the force and without speech."

"But, no offense Bastila, we haven't really known each other that long," Alaanis pointed out.

"True," Bastila decided. "But perhaps the rush of the recent events sped up the formation of the bond. I do not truly know. Perhaps the council will know more."

The answer didn't satisfy Alaanis, but she accepted it all the same. Perhaps this all-mighty jedi council would have the answers she wanted.

XxXxX

"Dantooine," Bastila sighed dreamily. Alaanis understood why though. This place was her home.

"It seems so boring," Mission declared, staring through the cockpit view at all the grasslands on the planet with occasional dots indicating homes. The crew of the Ebon Hawk was about to land on the grassy planet of Dantooine.

"Never would've imagined a jedi enclave here," Canderous grunted. Bastila tensed. She was still angry with Canderous from the other day.

"Let's take her down captain," Alaanis mock saluted Carth. He rolled his eyes a bit. Everyone on the ship was amazed at how the twenty-seven year old woman could possibly act so immaturely… and yet everyone found it funny.

":With a gigantic forest covering her surface, this planet could be my homeworld:" Zaalbar growled.

"Do you really miss Kashyyyk?" Mission asked her Wookie pal.

":A bit:" he replied.

With a smooth landing, Carth landed the ship in the jedi enclave hangar. He gave a huge yawn. Alaanis noticed how late it was by checking her chromo. Next thing she knew she was yawning too.

"I think," Alaanis said before yawning again, "That we should get some rest before checking this place out."

"Sounds good to me," Mission said, her eyes growing droopy. Everyone retreated back into the dormitories. Unexpectedly, the port dormitory had become the place for the Zaalbar, Carth and Canderous, or rather the guys to sleep in. And the starboard dormitory had become the place where Mission, Bastila and Alaanis, a.k.a. the girls, to sleep in.

Alaanis followed Bastila and Mission, all dead on their feet (_how did we get tired so quickly?_ Alaanis asked herself), back to the starboard dormitory. Alaanis felt like she was asleep before her head hit the softness of her pillow.

"_Is this wise?"_

_Alaanis was standing in a stone room, pacing, looking through the dark confines of a black mask at a tall, pale man standing in front of her. The man looked vaguely familiar, but from where she didn't know. He was wearing a red spacesuit with patches of black on it, but no helmet. His bald head was covered in tattoos. Sith tattoos._

Of course it's wise,_ Alaanis thought to herself. _This is the most important thing in existence!

"_I can feel the power of the dark side in this place," the man said, balling his hands into fists as though grasping three-dimensional power. "But is this really wise? The ancient jedi sealed this place. Did they seal it for a reason?"_

Yes,_ Alaanis continued her inner thoughts. _For us to be the first to find it again.

_Alaanis held her right hand out in front of her, and felt an ancient archway, sealed with a stone door. All around her were stone walls, carved and shattered here and there as though they had been standing there for millennia. Which they probably were._

_The door opened before her as Alaanis waved her hand. "Are the secrets of the Star Forge more important than remaining in the jedi order?" the man asked. "We will surely be exiled."_

XxXxX

Alaanis awoke abruptly the next morning, her mind rattled. What was that dream about? Alaanis had absolutely no clue. But maybe someone else would…

Glancing over at the bunk below Mission, Alaanis immediately ripped off her blanket and stood up. Bastila wasn't in the bunk anymore. Mission was still peacefully asleep, unaware of whatever dream Alaanis had experienced and where Bastila had gone.

Alaanis strapped on her rather comfortable armor. It was thin yet durable beyond expectance. It was more than the eye would normally see. It was also light, made by the Echani, and a greenish tan. Putting on the armor over her regular clothes, Alaanis placed her vibroswords in her belt, grabbed her oversized bag, and left the dormitory.

Alaanis went into the port dormitory, expecting to find _someone_ awake, Canderous and Zaalbar were still asleep and Carth was nowhere to be seen. This was really weird…

Searching all over the Ebon Hawk, Alaanis saw neither hide nor hair of Carth or Bastila. _Where are they?_ she asked herself. Finally, she simply left the ship, at least to explore the enclave if she couldn't analyze the dream.

"Are you alright?" a familiar voice questioned as Alaanis stepped out into the blinding sunlight. Covering her eyes, Alaanis saw Carth lifting himself from a bench and walking towards her. The bench was near a large doorframe leading into the enclave. All around her, Alaanis saw multiple settlers jedi wandering around, conversing with each other, heading into the enclave, and out of the enclave hangar.

"Yeah," Alaanis said, shaking herself again. The dream was still bothering her subconsciously. "Just a rough night."

"Well, you're not the only one," Carth told her. "Bastila came out of the ship about an hour ago looking the same as you do now: like you've just seen a ghost. I've been up for awhile, looking around in the enclave."

"Where did she go?" Alaanis asked him. Carth jerked his head behind him.

"Into the enclave," he replied. "I think she went to go talk to the council or something."

"Thanks," Alaanis shot him a forced smile (she was still wondering about the dream) and walked quickly into the enclave, speeding up once she was out of Carth's view. The halls of the jedi enclave were a deep beige stone color; moss grew over some of it coloring it partially green. Vines hung against the walls randomly, making the enclave look overrun with them. Alaanis liked the style. It reminded her of Deralia.

Alaanis stopped and realized she had no idea where she was going. She arrived in a larger room where a tree stood in the middle where there were walks surrounding it, leading three other places. One, she noticed, was the exit from the enclave. The other two she was uncertain about.

She spotted a female jedi staring at the tree with a passive look on her face. Feeling slightly rude to interrupt her, Alaanis cleared her throat. The woman looked at Alaanis up and down before declaring, "Where are your jedi robes?"

"Um… sorry?" Alaanis said surprised.

"Your jedi robes Padawan," the woman jedi repeated. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun and her face seemed slightly pointed. She towered over Alaanis. "Why aren't you wearing them? Do you mock us?"

"I'm sorry," Alaanis apologized politely. "But I'm not a jedi. I am visiting Dantooine with Padawan Bastila Shan."

"Ah, yes, Bastila," the jedi nodded her head in understanding. "I am sorry to have judged you so quickly. My name is Belaya."

"Alaanis." Alaanis smiled at Belaya. "Do you need assistance?" Belaya asked the older woman. Belaya seemed to only be a couple years older than Bastila, perhaps in her early twenties.

"Yes," Alaanis told her. "I wanted to know where I would go to see the council? And if you had seen Bastila pass by here about an hour ago?"

"I have not seen her," the woman shrugged. "I've only been in this area for about twenty minutes. But the jedi council is down the hallway to your left, just go to the left again and the council is in there. Good day." And with that the jedi walked away.

Alaanis followed the woman's directions and found herself in front of a locked door. She knew she could pick it easily or perhaps knock it down, but that would be most disrespectful. Alaanis knocked.

The door opened in front of her, revealing a circular room that dipped down to the center where five people stood. One was Bastila, clothed now in brown jedi robes instead of in her 'training' clothes. Four masters stood in a row, all wearing blue jedi robes. One was very short, and yellowish green. He had large ears and pointy fingers and toes. Next to him was a green Twi'lek male. To his left was a bald, black human male, his large brows furrowed. And last of the masters was a white human male, almost bald, with a large scowl on his face. For a second, Alaanis felt like she remembered him. But only for a second.

"Alaanis," Bastila greeted her companion, motioning for Alaanis to join the five of them. Alaanis cautiously walked down the dip of the stone room and stood in front of the five of them. Bastila was the only one with a light smile on her face. The Twi'lek, black human and short master were all wearing passive looks, and the white human continued wearing his large scowl, possibly deepening it.

"Hello Miss Pi," said the short master, speaking in a slightly croaking voice. "Bastila has told us all about you. Come. We have much to talk about."

XxXxX

Aha! Finished the chapter! Took me some time, but I got it done. Now for the reviews, I thank you completely. I wanted to write more of Dantooine for now, but I felt like that was a good chapter ending. Not too long a chapter, only thirteen pages, but the next one should be longer. Also, for you Carthaholics, there might not be too much between them in the next chapter. Might. Not sure yet.

I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be called Barriers. It'll be about the 'out-of-the-loop' feeling Carth is feeling (and how he builds up a barrier against Alaanis and Bastila) and it'll have all the jedi training in it. Or at least a bunch of it. Now for the reviews, mucho mucho thanks. I love reviews. So, to specifically address them…

_Resident roach code metallica_ – Glad to hear you like the in-between bits! They're just random things that I think would be awesome in the story, but wouldn't fit anywhere else.

_Wild's Daughter_ – Heehee… I felt like doing some foreshadowing. XD It's just too fun. And the Revan Malak romance? It's a bit complicated, but you will see… Patience, Padawan. ;)

Anyways, until the next chapter, which might take some time because I'm so busy lately with finals coming up, multiple papers to write, and a semi-existent social life to live, REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW… and send me good vegan food. I'm dying over here!

By the by: Happy Friday the 13th!

5-13-05


	12. Barriers

**Chapter Ten: Barriers**

"So…" Alaanis muttered, staring at the four masters in front of her. "What do we have to talk about now?"

"Bastila has told us of your time on Taris," the short master told her. "First, I would like to introduce ourselves. I am Master Vandar. This-" he pointed to the Twi'lek, "is Master Zhar, this-" he then turned his three fingered hand towards the white human, "is Master Vrook, and lastly our Chronicler of this Academy," he gestured towards the black human, "Is Master Dorak."

"Nice to meet you all," Alaanis said uncertainly, bowing her head slightly. Master Vrook sneered at her slightly. Bastila was smiling lightly, standing in the background.

"Padawan Bastila, you already know, so there is no need to introduce her," Vandar continued. "Back to business, Bastila has informed us that you seem to be able to wield the Force. She says that you two have formed a force bond. And she also says that you shared a dream."

Alaanis did a double take. The first two she was aware of and she remembered dreaming a strange dream the previous night, but that Bastila had shared it was something Alaanis did not expect! "What?" she exclaimed, surprised at this news. "How would she know if we shared a dream anyways?"

"I felt you in the dream through the force," Bastila explained simply, as though it was obvious.

":She tells us you dreamed of Revan and Malak:" Zhar declared. Alaanis stared at the Twi'lek for a minute.

"Revan and Malak?" Alaanis questioned. "We dreamed of them? Wait… how is Bastila even in my dreams anyways?"

"Through the force bond," Vandar said.

"But why did we dream of Revan and Malak?" Alaanis asked confusedly. This was mind-boggling information that was hard for the small woman to comprehend. It was just a bit more than she had expected. Okay, a lot more than she had expected.

"Perhaps because we desired to," Bastila shrugged.

"But I don't really desire to be Revan normally," Alaanis rolled her eyes. Vrook's scowl deepened considerably at this announcement. Bastila's smile dripped off her face for a split second. Alaanis ignored this. _Jedi just don't get sarcasm._

"What do you mean?" Master Dorak asked curiously. "You dreamed through Revan's eyes?"

"I guess," Alaanis thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I did." She stared around the room for a moment, looking into the eyes of each of the masters and Bastila's. "But that's not why I've come here is it?"

"No…" Dorak started. "We also wanted to speak to you about your adventures on Taris. Bastila explained that you showed quite a potential in the force."

"She said I might be force-sensitive," Alaanis suggested. The masters all turned towards Bastila who nodded her head in agreement. The masters looked back towards Alaanis. She shrugged at the stares she was receiving. Vandar was looking at her with consideration, Vrook was wearing a hard look, and Zhar and Dorak both looked thoughtful.

"We will discuss this matter more thoroughly in private," Vandar declared. "We will send Bastila to find you in a few hours to tell you what we have decided."

"Decided about what?" Alaanis asked curiously.

"If we will train you," Vandar said simply. Vrook looked outraged.

"'If'?" he questioned the short master. "She is too old! She's a fully-grown adult! And how do we know she's loyal? And not just to the Republic and the Jedi, but to the light side!" Vrook spared a quick glare for Alaanis before turning his hard gaze back on Vandar.

Master Vandar simply whisked away Vrook's objections. "We will discuss this more privately Vrook." And with that, Alaanis was ushered out of the room and found herself back in the hangar after some wandering. She was wandering aimlessly around and eventually sat down on a bench. She didn't even notice Carth sitting next to her.

"Alaanis?" he asked her concernedly. "What did the jedi want to talk to you about?"

"I have no idea." Alaanis continued staring at the ground, unsure of what was going on. Why did Vrook dislike her so greatly? Why would she, a simple Deralian scout, be a jedi, the peacekeepers of the galaxy? She didn't feel like she was up for it.

Carth and Alaanis sat on the bench in silence for about ten minutes before anybody else left the Ebon Hawk and spotted them. It was Canderous.

"What's going on?" he asked in his typical gruff voice. Carth shrugged, and Alaanis stayed stationary. Canderous shook his head lightly and walked into the enclave. Alaanis barely noticed, but Carth felt bad for any of the jedi that would encounter the Mandalorian.

"I think I'm going to get some sleep," Alaanis declared after another fifteen minutes.

"Wait," Carth objected. Alaanis turned towards him, halfway between sitting down and standing up. "What did the council talk to you about?"

"I'm not really sure," Alaanis told him truthfully. Carth didn't believe her.

"Why can't you just explain it to me?" Carth asked a bit angrily. Alaanis slipped out of her distracted state and glared hard at Carth.

"I told you the truth Carth," Alaanis said icily. "They just analyzed me. Told me nothing I didn't already know. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep." And before giving Carth a chance to reply, she stood up and walked into the Ebon Hawk and fell asleep on her bunk.

XxXxX

"Ugh, I'm bored Z," Mission complained for the zillionth time. She threw her Pazaak deck onto the table. The cards fell out and slipped everywhere. She cursed as she picked them up.

":Patience Mission:" Zaalbar growled. As much as Mission was his best friend, she got bored very easily. Of course, he couldn't blame her. They'd been sitting in the Ebon Hawk common room for three hours playing Pazaak. It could drive even the Wookie mad.

Just that second, the sound of footsteps broke the boredom. Bastila walked into the common room, in brown robes instead of in the getup Mission was used to seeing her in. She had always thought Bastila's outfit was one you could find on Nar Shadaa in the red zone.

"Is Alaanis here?" Bastila asked the Twi'lek. Mission nodded. "She's sleeping." Bastila moved towards the starboard dormitory. But Mission stopped her. Running over to Bastila and standing in front of her, Mission finally noticed that Bastila wasn't actually very short. It must've just been that when Bastila and Canderous argued he towered over her, being as monstrously tall as he was. But compared to Mission, and Alaanis who was just slightly taller than Mission, Bastila was actually quite tall.

"How tall are you?" Mission questioned the jedi. Bastila stared at her for a second.

"I do not know," Bastila replied. "It's not important. Strength is in a jedi's abilities and skills, not their height."

"Do you ever use the force for fun?"

"No…"

"Aw, why not?"

"It's a misuse of such a thing! The force is not a toy; it's something much greater than that."

"Yeah, but still, why don't you ever use it for fun?" Bastila was beginning to get aggravated. Mission almost laughed right out. She needed to loosen up.

"Want a demonstration?" Bastila said. Mission grinned and nodded her head. Bastila closed her eyes and lifted her arms. Then she shot them back down and Mission felt herself flying back towards Zaalbar.

"BASTILA!" Mission screeched as the jedi continued down the hall to the starboard dormitory. The Twi'lek ended up on Zaalbar's lap. "Hi Big Z." She smiled up at the Wookie. Zaalbar just shook his head.

"I'm awake Bastila," Alaanis muttered as she rolled off of her bunk. "Mission's scream woke me up. Why was she yelling at you now?" Alaanis stood up and looked at the chestnut haired jedi standing in the doorframe.

"Nothing important," Bastila answered simply. "The council is waiting for you. Let's not keep them waiting, come on." She grabbed Alaanis' hand and pulled her out of the Ebon Hawk, passing by a disgruntled Mission complaining about being bored.

The two women arrived in the council's chamber within three minutes. Bastila stood to the side as Alaanis walked to be in front of the four masters. Vandar was smiling slightly, but Vrook was still wearing his same old scowl. Alaanis looked expectantly at the masters for something. Whatever it was that they had to tell her.

"We have decided after much deliberating that you will indeed be trained to be a jedi here at the enclave," Vandar told her. "Tomorrow will be your first day. You will train in the finesse and stylized fighting of the lightsaber. You will also learn to control the force and to center your emotions. You will meditate and study the history of the jedi. And Bastila will train beside you, to help you on your way."

Alaanis nodded her head in acceptance. She was a jedi? How strange a destiny she was facing. She had never expected such a thing to happen to her. But she'd take it.

"I would be honored to study the ways of the force," Alaanis smiled, glancing at Vrook for a split second. He was still scowling. She wondered if he ever smiled.

XxXxX

The next few weeks were a simple routine for Alaanis. She would wake up early, just after dawn, and leave the Ebon Hawk and meet in the training room with Master Zhar. There, she would meditate for two hours before breakfast. After breakfast, Bastila met Alaanis back in the training room for some sparring with simple swords. Alaanis hadn't gotten to use a lightsaber yet. Then, after lunch, Master Dorak would give Alaanis a new history book with a lesson to learn. Once finishing the book just before dinner, Alaanis met with all four masters and Bastila to discuss her progress.

Usually, the council acted amazed upon her quick progress. She had begun after the first week returning to practice the use of the force with Master Vandar and Bastila's help. After dinner, Alaanis returned to the Ebon Hawk to spend some time with the crew that spent their days hanging around the ship and sometimes wandering into the enclave or the courtyard.

The only crewmember that seemed to outright refuse to talk to Alaanis was Carth. Ever since she had met with the council about four weeks ago, he hadn't spoken to her. He seemed to talk to everyone else in the crew except Alaanis. And Bastila. He even talked to Canderous, even though it was usually just to help fix up the Ebon Hawk.

Mission and Zaalbar found themselves consistently wandering around in the courtyard. Zaalbar said that the atmosphere of the planet reminded him a bit more of Kashyyyk. Except, he pointed out, for the lack of trees.

Canderous and Carth were usually tinkering with the ship, and Canderous with his weapons. It seemed like the two men had come to an agreement about something or other, and therefore they were finally on speaking terms.

Bastila didn't spend much time with the crew. Sometime she spoke with Mission, but the Twi'lek always seemed to try and provoke Bastila. Canderous and Bastila avoided each other like the plague, though occasionally they did end up in rather heated arguments.

Alaanis was personally enjoying her time on Dantooine. It was an enjoyable experience. She was learning the ways of the force, and growing closer to Bastila, Mission, Zaalbar and Canderous. The old war veteran had even let Alaanis in on some of his more proud victories. Mission talked of her brother a lot, and the two often swapped brother stories. Bastila was explaining to Alaanis all the possibilities of the force, and how great a gift yet heavy a burden it was. Alaanis did get a little sick of her lectures, but understood that Bastila just meant well.

But Carth was still refusing to talk to Alaanis. It was the beginning of their sixth week on Dantooine, and Alaanis was blindfolded and so was Bastila. It was about midday, almost time for lunch, but the two women were still sparring.

":Concentrate:" Master Zhar called out as Alaanis' footing slipped. She was usually confident in her footwork, but she was a little unfocused today. When she had left the Hawk that morning, Carth had given her one hell of a death glare.

Bastila got a lucky shot in Alaanis' leg, producing a small cut, nothing more. Today, the two were practicing gentleness in their actions, showing that power didn't control everything.

":Focus:" Zhar exclaimed as Alaanis tripped over her own feet. _Damn! Stop thinking and start sparring!_ She scolded herself.

After another five minutes of unfocused sparring, Bastila and Alaanis were asked to take off their blindfolds. The blindfolds were used so that they could sense each other with the force instead of with their eyes. 'Sight can be deceiving' Master Zhar had explained.

"Not such a good run today," Master Vandar said, his small form coming out of the doorway. Obviously, he had been standing there for some time.

":You need to focus better Alaanis:" Master Zhar explained simply. ":Hopefully tomorrow you will be doing better.:" Alaanis and Bastila bowed their heads and left the room.

The rest of the week, Alaanis stopped thinking like a normal human being and started thinking like a jedi. She focused on nothing else besides her training. And it seemed to pay off. The last day of the week Master Zhar gave Alaanis and Bastila training sabers. They weren't lethal like normal lightsabers, but they were still in the same form as regular lightsabers.

On the final day of the week, Alaanis was summoned before the council once more. All four masters and Bastila were in the room again.

"Apprentice," Vandar called as Alaanis walked down the slope of the council chamber. Alaanis stopped walking and stood still, holding her hands behind her back slightly nervously. She wondered if they were going to chastise her for losing her focus earlier that week. It turned out otherwise.

"In the past six weeks you have achieved what others take years and years to learn," Vandar continued. "You have shown strength in your mind, body and abilities. Your force potential seems limitless, your techniques the epitome of perfection."

"But don't let your mind be filled with glory and power," Master Vrook spoke. "Those are thoughts that lead to the dark side. And jedi are followers of the light, dedicated to peace."

"Do you feel you are a follower of the light?" Master Dorak asked her. Alaanis looked around her at the masters. Vrook was actually no longer scowling, simply looking emotionless.

"Yes."

All the masters looked at her skeptically for half a second before resuming their former serene looks. Vandar had a small smile plastered onto his face. "Good."

Master Zhar stepped forward. ":Then we would be honored to welcome you fully into the jedi order.:" Alaanis grinned. She felt proud of her accomplishments, on how she could learn these things so easily.

"But before you are granted the title of Padawan, the lowest rank in the jedi order, you must learn and recite the jedi code for Master Zhar," Vrook explained. Alaanis bowed her heads to the masters and left the chamber, hearing behind her a call to return in the morning, bright and early to recite it.

XxXxX

It was a long night for Alaanis, memorizing the jedi code, understanding it, and finding wisdom in it. After that, she fell asleep, dreaming of the old dream of Revan and Malak. She had had the dream twice since it first came upon her. Now it didn't seem to want to leave her.

In the morning, Alaanis woke at dawn and left Bastila, who was still asleep, to come when she awoke. She arrived in the training room where Master Zhar was meditating.

":Welcome apprentice:" Master Zhar greeted her, standing up and looking at the young woman. Alaanis bowed to the master and he gave her a slight smile. ":Have you learned the jedi code:"

"Yes master," Alaanis replied. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

":Do you understand the jedi code:" Zhar asked her. She bowed her head lightly and responded with a 'yes master'. ":We jedi do not kill our prisoners, nor kill at all when death can be avoided. When war can be avoided, we avoid it and work with peace.:"

"And jedi control their emotions, not allowing them to overtake our actions and reactions," Alaanis commented. Zhar gave her a small smile.

":You have done well apprentice:" he told her respectfully. ":The next step in becoming a jedi is a jedi's class and lightsaber. For more information on the jedi classes, Master Dorak is here to explain.:" The green Twi'lek turned and stepped to the side while Master Dorak walked into the training room. Alaanis bowed to the master.

"There are three classes of jedi," Master Dorak began. "The first is the jedi guardian. Jedi guardians focus on combat and lightsaber skills, becoming a bit less adept in the force. Usually slightly more aggressive, jedi guardians are less often sent on diplomatic missions unless danger is sensed. The next class of jedi is the jedi sentential. The jedi sentential balances their study of the force and their study of the lightsaber. They are quick-witted and often able to ferret out deceit easily. The third and final class of jedi is the jedi consular. The jedi consular focuses on their connection to the force and seeks to meditate on subjects, always asking why and how.

"Which, apprentice, do you believe yourself to be?" Dorak concluded. Alaanis thought for a moment. The jedi guardian and jedi sentential were both more like her. The jedi consular seemed a bit too deeply immersed in the force to be someone like Alaanis.

"The jedi sentential," Alaanis decided after a moment on pondering. Dorak looked like he agreed.

"You always struck me as such," Dorak concurred. "The color of the sentenial's lightsaber is yellow. Green is of the consular and blue is of the guardian. Since you have chosen to be a sentential here is a yellow crystal. I must leave you, but Master Zhar will instruct you on how to build a lightsaber."

Alaanis held the glowing crystal Master Dorak had given her in her left hand and stared at it. It was quite beautiful. "Aren't there three crystals in a lightsaber?" she asked Zhar. Dorak had already left the chamber.

":There can be three crystals in a lightsaber apprentice:" Master Zhar told her. ":But you can have a lightsaber with a single crystal as well. It's not uncommon.:"

The rest of the day was taken up with Alaanis' construction of her own lightsaber. Master Zhar helped her at first, but left her to her own devices after an hour or so. It wasn't very difficult for Alaanis to do, but the building took a lot of patience. Therefore, it took away most of the day.

The Dantooine sun was setting by the time Alaanis was holding her finished lightsaber in front of her. It was an illuminating pale yellow color, lighter than the more goldenrod-like color Bastila's double bladed lightsaber took on.

":You have done well apprentice:" Zhar complimented Alaanis' handiwork as she swung her lightsaber, enjoying the musical hum as she jerked it around. For some reason, though she had never handled a real lightsaber before in her life, Alaanis felt like it was the only weapon meant for her.

"Thank you master," Alaanis bowed her head in gratitude at the master's praise. Zhar requested that she return the next morning for her third and final trial.

Alaanis began her walk back to the Ebon Hawk before almost walking directly into Bastila.

"I'm sorry!" Bastila told her as she almost tripped over Alaanis who had fallen onto the ground. "I shouldn't be so distracted." Bastila's face showed lines of red anger that had faded away.

"Have you been arguing with Canderous again?" Alaanis asked her, standing up and brushing a bit of the ground's dirt off of her.

Bastila reddened slightly. "Is it that obvious?" Alaanis nodded. The younger jedi sighed. "That Mandalorian just infuriates me! If he is an example of the everyday Mandalorian, then I almost don't blame Revan and Malak for killing them off!" Bastila cut herself off and mentally smacked herself. "I should not speak like that."

"Hey, you're human," Alaanis shrugged. "Just because you're a jedi doesn't mean you never feel emotions like anger. It's controlling those emotions that make you a jedi."

" You're certainly sounding more like a jedi everyday," Bastila said beaming. "I am glad for you. How did your trials go?"

"They went well," Alaanis answered. The two women were walking side by side slowly around the tree in the center of the enclave. It was a large ever-blossoming tree, very beautiful. Many jedi in the enclave found themselves meditating by the tree. "Are you a jedi sentential Bastila?"

"Yes I am," Bastila replied. "Which jedi class did you choose to be a part of?"

"I am a jedi sentential as well," Alaanis smiled and drew her lightsaber. Bastila looked frightened for a split second at the yellow glow in the darkening night, but then smiled back and drew her own double-bladed lightsaber. The two sparred in the room and eventually made their way to the hangar, dueling through the halls as both knew they shouldn't have. But they were caught in the dance of battle, not being able to focus on the silence around them.

The battle ended a long while later. Both were panting but still smiling at each other. Though at first the two women didn't like each other, they had formed a strange bond through their fellow force-sensitivity. And it wasn't just the force bond. They were friends.

Alaanis did agree with what Carth had said all those weeks ago, she did have strange friends. But she didn't find anything wrong with that.

XxXxX

By midday the next day, Alaanis was heading towards the enclave's courtyard, her head spinning. Her third trial was to rid the grove of the dark taint. But Master Zhar wasn't being informative enough for Alaanis to really understand. She was allowed to take two companions with her. Alaanis was surprised when Master Zhar included that, but Carth and Mission were following her nonetheless.

Alaanis had been beyond surprised when Carth said that he wanted to come with Alaanis. Considering the way he hadn't spoken to her in over a month told her that he wasn't happy. Maybe he would finally explain why.

":I am on a mission:"

Alaanis turned her head at the voice of a Rodian calling. She, Carth and Mission had just crossed a small bridge over a stream from the enclave to the courtyard. There were a few land speeders parked just at the edge of the bridge. Alaanis presumed the visitors came to the enclave with their problems, asking the jedi for help. She had seen the council in conference with a multitude of people.

One had been a farmer. His name was Jon and his daughter was killed by Mandalorians. They also burned his home to the ground. The council allowed him to stay at the enclave but refused his request to deal with the Mandalorians.

Canderous heard news of this and growled about the man being too weak his protect his own daughter. Alaanis wished she could've helped the man. But if the council wouldn't help them, they surely wouldn't allow Alaanis to.

She had to stay focused on the task at hand. "What is your mission?" she asked the Rodian skeptically. He was wearing a yellow jumpsuit that almost matched the slightly more green color of his skin. In his land speeder he was standing in front of were boxes and boxes of what looked like supplies.

"You're selling something aren't ya?" Mission chuckled. The Rodian looked scandalized.

":That's my mission:" he called. ":My name is Adum Larp. These grounds are dangerous; is it so horrible a thing to supply innocent civilians with weapons and armor:"

"Do you have any maps of the area?" Alaanis asked him. The Rodian nodded his head. "How much?"

":Only five credits:" Adum told her. ":I have bundles, and they're useful, so why not sell 'em cheap:"

"That's generous of you," Alaanis said, pulling out a credit chip and tossing it to the Rodian. "Most merchants would hoard all their supplies and sell them expensively, no matter how much they had of a single product."

":It's a stereotype ma'am:" Adum shook his head and pocketed the chip. ":We merchants are looked upon so harshly. We're not all horrible.:" Adum handed Alaanis the map. ":Do you need anything else? I have some very nice armor for sale.:"

"That'll be it Adum," Alaanis smiled at him. "Thanks for the map. Good luck in your mission."

":And you in whatever yours is.:" Alaanis, Carth and Mission walked off. Mission a little reluctantly because she was very interested in some of the weapons Adum had for sale.

"If I had a few more credits I would've bought myself a couple choice grenades…" Mission groaned.

"We have enough grenades for now Mission," Alaanis told her. She looked down at the map. It was in a small datapad. "I hate carrying around so many datapads," she grumbled. She pulled out her journal and plugged the smaller datapad into it, downloading the information. "There." She stuffed the small datapad back in her over-sized bag and tucked the journal into her inner pocket. That was the beauty of jedi robes; they had about a hundred pockets hidden in the inner layers of the light robes.

Following the map out of the courtyard and onto what were the grounds of some rich farming family called the Matales, Carth, Mission and Alaanis walked in silence. Mission seemed to be absorbing the beauty of a planet that wasn't Taris. Carth seemed to still be brooding. Alaanis was still staring intently at the map.

It was while she was staring at this map that she didn't notice the group of Mandalorians and Duros about fifty meters away.

"Uh… Alaanis?" Mission whispered as she poked her.

"What?" Alaanis asked, lifting her head up. Then with a feeling of dread she realized what. One large Mandalorian in full combat uniform was holding a settler up by his collar. Two Mandalorians were pointing blaster rifles at the settler and two Duros were searching through a smoking land speeder that Alaanis could only assume was the settler's.

"What do we have here?" the bigger Mandalorian chuckled, throwing down the settler. The settler's head hit the side of the land speeder and Alaanis didn't need to hear the loud crack to know he had died.

"Why are you attacking the settlers?" Alaanis demanded, unsheathing her one vibrosword while holding her right hand menacingly next to her lightsaber.

The Mandalorians laughed. "Why do you think?" One exclaimed. "For the supplies, power, fear, honor and satisfaction." The larger Mandalorian pulled out a large sword while the other two manned their blaster rifles. The Duros pulled out small shock sticks and the five ran at Alaanis, Carth and Mission.

Simultaneously the three activated their energy shields and Alaanis powered up her lightsaber. Slicing through the chest of one Duros, his scream landed in her left ear, loud and piercing. She shuddered for a second, remembering that she was murdering people.

_It's self-defense!_ One voice in her mind told her.

_It's still murder,_ another answered.

_They didn't listen to reason; I had no choice._

And she swung her lightsaber again and again against the large Mandalorian. His footwork was very advanced. Carth had easily taken out the other Duros and one of the Mandalorians and now he was trying his best not to hit Mission while she swung her vibroswords at the third Mandalorian's blaster rifle.

Finally the rifle snapped in half and Mission chopped off one arm. Getting in a good shot Carth hit him right in the forehead. Alaanis finally was able to knock the Mandalorian into the speeder and stabbed him with her lightsaber.

"Well, less blood to worry about now with this thing eh Carth?" Alaanis joked, remembering how he told her that her vibroswords were too bloody. He didn't even look her way.

"I bet they have awesome gear!" Mission exclaimed, digging straight into the bags of the Mandalorians. She did come up with a few grenades that she had wanted and a very fierce Mandalorian blaster pistol that she claimed immediately.

"Come on," Carth finally said, the first thing Alaanis had heard him say in days, except for when he said he wanted to come with her and Mission. "We should get this thing done."

"Okay Carth," Alaanis said lightly. She looked down at the body of the dead settler. Why wouldn't the jedi want to get rid of these savage beasts? It was obvious reason wouldn't work. She'd have to bring it up with Bastila later.

The three reached the edge of the Matale grounds easily, past the large estate Alaanis had to admire for its beautiful architecture. And the gardens it had were also breath-taking. If Alaanis hadn't been busy, she'd have surely stopped just to get a whiff of the flowers planted there.

It was in the grove that Alaanis, Carth and Mission were first ambushed by the kath hounds. There seemed to be an endless supply of these ferocious beasts. Alaanis was surprised at the ferocity of their attacks. Kath hounds were usually demure unless provoked. And all they had done was come within twenty meters of the animals.

After walking for a bit longer, and decapitating a loose kath hound that got a nasty swipe at Mission's leg before it was killed, Alaanis felt a surge of darkness coming from the west. It was the dark taint.

"This way," Alaanis told her companions, pointing towards her left. "I can feel it." She swore she heard Carth mutter something like 'jedi mumbo-jumbo' when she said that. Mission was deathly quiet. Her leg was bleeding lightly, but she had refused to have a bandage over it. She only let Alaanis inject a kolto pack and then leave it alone.

There were a few pillars as they walked further to the west. About four of them, but only two were still standing the way they should have. One had collapsed completely and the fourth was leaning against a cliff. There were stones sitting on the ground and a few corpses lying around the stone platforms. Upon one stone was a young woman, no older than Bastila. It was a Cathar, and Alaanis could feel the darkness radiating from her. But it wasn't absolute. It seemed more like a shadow.

From this Cathar, whoever she was, Alaanis felt grief, guilt and regret. And anger at herself. She walked closer to the woman, and was only a few meters away before the Cathar opened her eyes.

"How dare you come to my grove!" she shrieked. "This is my grove; my place of darkness. But now that you have come… you will die!"

Before Alaanis could expect anything, the Cathar jumped up and sent a stasis field onto Carth and Mission along with a force wave. Mission was knocked back into a small cliff. Alaanis hoped she was alright. Carth landed in the grass a few meters back. He'd be fine.

But Alaanis didn't have time to worry; the Cathar had ignited a blue lightsaber and pounced at her. Anger fueled her attacks. Alaanis fought back with serenity, remembering the jedi code she had learned only weeks ago.

The fighting was intense, but Alaanis realized the woman's weakness quickly. She was on offense, and was leaving herself open to a simple trick. As the Cathar jumped up and pulled down her lightsaber where Alaanis had been standing, she rolled below her raised legs and used her vibroswords to cut into the Cathar's back.

She screamed. She fell to the ground and dropped her lightsaber. Alaanis leaned down and picked it up, turning it off. She switched her own off. She tossed the Cathar's lightsaber back to its pain-ridden owner.

"Why aren't you killing me?" the Cathar asked helplessly, leaned forward on all fours, her clothes turned bloody red, especially on her back where Alaanis had cut her.

"Nobody deserves death," Alaanis told her. "I was sent to remove the dark taint," she continued. "But that doesn't mean I have to kill you."

"Well, you cannot redeem me."

"What is your name?" Alaanis bent down on her knees so that she was face to face with the Cathar.

"Juhani," she responded. "And I have fallen to the dark side."

"Why?" Alaanis asked curiously. She placed her lightsaber back into her belt and grabbed the Cathar's hand to help her stand up. Uneasily, Juhani did so.

"I have slain my master." She avoided Alaanis' eyes, ashamed of the truth.

"Are you sure?" Juhani shook her head.

"I might as well have though," she answered. "I let my anger control me. I am not worthy of being a jedi. Kill me, you have defeated me."

"No," Alaanis said, grabbing Juhani's chin, forcing her to look in Alaanis' eyes. "Go back to the temple. The jedi will not kill you. They will forgive you. But only if you show them you have learned the error of your ways. I don't think you've truly fallen. You were simply scared. Ask for forgiveness Juhani, it will be granted."

"If I show them that I am not consumed by anger…?" Juhani looked hopeful.

"…They will forgive you," Alaanis finished. She smiled at the Cathar and handed her a medpac. "Here, heal yourself and go back to the enclave." Juhani nodded. She was gone in a flash. Alaanis suspected she had used her force powers to make her move quicker.

Behind her, Alaanis could hear Carth picking himself up off the grass.

"Are you okay?' Alaanis asked concerned. Carth nodded grumpily and avoided eye contact. He began to walk away. "Carth!" she called. He turned around to face her.

"What do you want Pi?" he asked her coldly.

"Why won't you speak to me?" she gazed pleadingly at him. She was sick of him not talking to her. She hadn't done anything to offend him… had she? And why did she care so much if Carth was speaking to her or not?

"I'm talking to you right now," Carth said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"I mean outside of right now, you're different than you were on Taris," she pointed out.

"Maybe because you weren't one of those Jedi back on Taris," Carth mumbled.

"So that's it," Alaanis groaned, sitting herself down on a stone platform. "You don't talk to me anymore because I happen to be a jedi. You've got some major issues Carth Onasi."

"You can't blame me," Carth glared at her.

"Yes I can!" Alaanis shouted. She stood up and walked over to him. "The reason you don't trust anybody is because of you, not anyone else. Just because you were betrayed by one man doesn't mean the galaxy has betrayed you! It's not a 'let's betray Carth' conspiracy!"

"How do you know?" Carth yelled back angrily.

"Force, you are paranoid!" Alaanis moaned. She sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, the jedi are cryptic. Yes, the jedi are strange. Yes, the jedi think differently. But no, the jedi aren't planning on betraying you! I'm not a traitor Carth!"

Carth stood flabbergasted. He couldn't reply. His anger evaporated and reason kicked in. "I'm sorry Alaanis, it's just who I am." He sat down on the grass. She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his arm.

"You don't have to be like that though," she said quietly. "Paranoia isn't very becoming."

"Again, I'm sorry," he repeated. Carth shook his head lightly. "Just ever since Revan and Malak betrayed the Republic, I think everyone's got a few trust issues with jedi."

"Hey Carth…" Alaanis said after a moment of silence. Something just occurred to her. "You said you had seen holograms of Revan right?"

"Uh… yeah?" he replied confounded as to why this was significant.

"Do you know if you could show me?" she asked. "I've seen millions of holograms of Malak, but not many of Revan, without the heavy armor and mask. Why would someone not even affected by the force physically wear armor?"

"To hide her real identity I guess," Carth shrugged. Alaanis handed him her journal and he downloaded a hologram of Revan for her.

Alaanis stared at it. Revan was quite beautiful. "This was during the Mandalorian Wars," Carth commented. "I never saw her then, I had only seen Malak. Once. He was certainly intimidating but very impressive."

Revan was wielding two yellow lightsabers, wearing what looked like specially-made deep green robes. They matched the intensity of her determined green eyes while her long black hair flowed out in the wind of battle. It reminded Alaanis of her own natural hair. When she had joined the Republic she had it chopped off and dyed, just for the significance of change between the smuggler she was and the soldier she became.

"Impressive," Alaanis nodded her head in satisfaction of seeing the woman. Carth exited the hologram and handed the journal back to Alaanis.

Carth finally looked in Alaanis' eyes as he handed it to her. "I really do feel sorry for kind of building that barrier between us recently. I just…"

Alaanis shushed him by holding up a finger at his lips. "I understand. Just, try to lighten up won't you?" She shot him a quirky smile. She just realized how close they really were at the moment, their faces only about three inches apart. She saw his brown eyes stare into her own blue ones intently, searching for something. She stared back.

_No… don't tell me I've fallen for Onasi over here!_ Alaanis scolded herself mentally.

Luckily enough for her, whatever would've happened next was interrupted with a rustle of two kath hounds approaching Carth and Alaanis. They stood up and Carth shot one and knocked it to the ground while Alaanis killed the other with her lightsaber. She smiled at Carth and then remembered Mission.

Deactivating her lightsaber, the jedi hurried over to Mission's still form. Alaanis felt for a pulse. Carth was right behind her. "She's alive," Alaanis told him. "Just unconscious. Can you carry her back to the enclave?"

Carth picked up the small Twi'lek with ease. "Sure." They smiled and headed back to he enclave.

_But wait… I'm a jedi. Doesn't that forbid me from love?_ Alaanis was expected to feel relieved at this thought, but it just thoroughly depressed her as she trod a couple feet ahead of Carth, her lightsaber ready for battle of any kath hounds dared to approach them.

XxXxX

W000000T! Longest chapter YET! It hit sixteen pages! Anyways, I am really sorry it took me a while to get it out, but I have been so super busy lately (I shouldn't have even written this up today) because the end of the school year5 is just about here and with that has come dozens of projects and papers, and of course finals next week so I've been studying for those, as well as NYSSMA, which is if you don't live in New York or you just don't know, New York State School Music Association and it has a bunch of different people from all over in different 'festivals' perform songs (vocally or instrumentally, I do the music) as groups or individuals and I'm doing it this Friday on Level 4 (there's six levels) and I've been working on it really hard to live up to a perfect score I got two years ago (This is only my second time going) so yeah.

So, anyways, I'm done blabbering about my busy life. Anyways, I'm sorry of the Juhani thing didn't seem right in this chapter. I felt a hard time getting that conversation right. Oh and spelling errors? Sorry if there are any of those, I don't have time to proofread when I should be studying for finals. By the by THANK YOU for the reviews! I LOVE them. XD I shall now address them…

_Resident roach code metallica_ – I'm glad you like the fighting… I always thought they were the most clashable in the game, so why not exploit that?

_Rachil Fayrchild_ – I think the story would be boring if it was only in Alaanis' POV.

_Wid's Daughter_ – Canderous is wrong? Well, I hope I get him right soon enough… I am having issues writing him, but his character wasn't completely expressed in the last chapter really. I hope I get him better in the future! Have any tips on how to write him?

Mucho thanks for the reviews guys! I hope I get some more on this chapter. ;) XD Anyways, I hope you Carthaholics enjoyed the little bit of Carth/Alaanis stuff I threw into this chapter. Heehee… have to leave a little tension in there. Anyways, expect the next chapter in at least a week (because this week is finals and I will have no time) so I hope this suffices for now! There should be around two more Dantooine chapters before I ship the crew off to Kashyyyk. I already wrote a bunch of the story breaks (which I love) and the Revelation as well as some other random scene (in my cell phone lol, I was really bored).

So until next chapter, REVIEW BECAUSE I LOVE REVIEWS, wish me luck in my finals and for NYSSMA (I'll need all the luck I can get) and have a spectacular end-of-spring-almost-summer!

5-29-05


	13. Jedi Issues

Pre note: I have no idea how the Star wars calendar works, (besides the standard month, week, day, year stuff that's exactly how the usual calendars of this planet work) so I basically just continued with the copying of our calendar into this fic. So if the word "Wednesday" doesn't exist in the Star Wars Universe, TOO BAD! XD Oh and the whole Life Days / Birthdays thing... I have no idea which it is. But I believe its Life Days. I have no idea! Don't shoot me! This chapter was full of confusion for me! And sorry if I screwed anything up again!

XxXxX

**Chapter Eleven: Jedi Issues**

Alaanis Pi, Carth Onasi and Mission Vao returned to the enclave quickly enough, the latter two bringing Mission directly to the enclave's medical facilities. The jedi healer decided that Mission had sprained her left wrist, but besides that Mission would wake up within an hour and be okay.

Mission did awake an hour later, looking up to see the whole Ebon Hawk crew standing around the room. Canderous and Carth were talking, which was quite a shock since their argument wasn't louder than a Wookie's roar. Alaanis and Bastila were talking with the jedi healer about the large cut on Alaanis' side that scarred from her duel with Marl back on Taris. The healer decided that it would probably never go away. Zaalbar was tinkering with the small T3 astromech droid, trying to upgrade its sensors.

"Hey guys," Mission said, sitting up in her bed. Everyone turned towards her and they all smiled. Well, except Canderous who never smiled and T3 who physically couldn't. But the small droid beeped happily at Mission's woken form.

":Mission:" Zaalbar exclaimed, practically throwing himself onto her. ":You're all right:"

"Yeah Big Z, I'm fine," she giggled at his protectiveness. Carth walked over to Mission as Zaalbar backed off a bit so Mission could at least breathe.

"Glad you're all right kid," Carth joked. Mission pretended to pout at him calling her a kid. Then she remembered something.

"Hey… what day is today?" she asked the jedi healer. The healer was a young man, probably a bit older than Bastila, with blonde hair and a mustache. His eyes were friendlier than Mission would've expected in most jedi.

"It's Wednesday," the healer replied. Mission's smile brightened.

"Guess what then?" she turned towards everybody who looked at her expectantly. She knew that Zaalbar knew what today was. "It's my Life Day!" Carth laughed and shook his head, Alaanis chuckled quietly, and Bastila smiled. Canderous' lips began to twitch slightly as he walked over to Mission.

"So that makes you what… ten?" he asked her. Mission almost growled at the Mandalorian as he stood next to her bed, facing the rest of the room. She jabbed him in the side and ended up hurting herself. _For an old guy, he's got damn hard abs!_

Canderous laughed at her. "I'm fifteen," Mission shot at him. "I guess Mandalorians aren't known for their math skills are they?" Alaanis snorted and Zaalbar and Carth laughed harder. Bastila even let loose a chuckle.

Canderous grumbled as he left the room, Mission smiling triumphantly.

Just then a jedi messenger entered the room, obviously only a student at the enclave not more than ten years old.

"Master Vandar asked me to find Padawans Bastila and Alaanis?" Bastila and Alaanis exchanged glances before Bastila told the boy that they would be along shortly.

"Well, I guess you passed your trials Padawan," Bastila smiled at Alaanis and left the room. Zaalbar Carth trailed after her with T3 at his side.

"Happy Life Day Mission," Alaanis said, handing a small package to Mission with a wink.

":What's in it:" Zaalbar asked his friend after Alaanis left the room. Mission opened the package. It was wrapped in a raggedy old blanket that Mission had seen on the Ebon Hawk before. Nobody dared to touch it because it seemed so disgusting. But it appeared that Alaanis had cleaned it. Inside the package were three things. First of the three was a pair of expensive gloves good for battling with blasters. Mission held them up for Zaalbar to see. He nodded his head approvingly.

But the other two things were what really were the good gifts. First was a datapad with a note in it from Alaanis.

_To my favorite Twi'lek street-urchin Mission, from just your average ex-smuggler, ex-Republic soldier jedi, Alaanis. I know it's not the same, but I thought you might like this. Carth and I found it when we were on Taris in one of the apartments. And he thought robbing them was a bad idea…_

Mission laughed at the note. She could imagine Carth objecting to things Alaanis did, but he would follow them anyways. The Twi'lek looked down into the box and saw a map. But not just any map but a map of Taris.

It was on a datapad, and it seemed like there were a bunch of notes written in it. They were obviously written by Alaanis, considering the odd details mentioned. In the upper city cantina she had written 'find a sith kid and get him drunk' whereas down in the lower city cantina where Alaanis and Mission had first met she had written 'find informative accomplices'. Additionally, she had added 'met big Wookie and little Twi'lek. Odd pair, but informative.'

Mission laughed as she looked over the rest of the map, and Zaalbar came over and looked at it as well.

"It's almost like a little piece of Taris," Mission told her best friend. _A little piece of home._

XxXxX

"First of all," Master Vandar announced after Alaanis and Bastila entered the jedi chambers. Along with the short master were masters Vrook, Dorak and Zhar. "I would like to congratulate Alaanis on achieving the rank of Padawan. Welcome to the first step of the jedi order." He bowed his over-sized head lightly towards Alaanis who returned the gesture.

"Second of all," Master Vrook continued. "We'd like to formally thank you for returning Juhani back to the jedi. It was a wise decision you made to redeem her. We have forgiven her as well. It appears she believed to have killed her master. However, Master Quatra was not fatally injured at all, and simply moved on to a new Padawan."

"But most importantly," Vandar told the two women. "We have asked you to come here because of the dream you two shared. We believe we know where it was located." Alaanis listened interestedly to the small yellow jedi master.

"There are ancient ruins located on the enclave here on Dantooine. We believe that Revan and Malak visited these ruins prior or during the Mandalorian Wars. We sent another jedi, Knight Nemo, to investigate these ruins about a week ago. He has not returned, therefore we'd like to send you two to see what has happened to him."

Bastila and Alaanis exchanged quick glances. Bastila seemed eager to receive a new mission, and Alaanis wasn't going to turn down a request of the council's.

"We'd be honored to accept this duty," Bastila declared, bowing her head in respect to the masters. Alaanis followed suit.

"Wonderful," Master Dorak declared, clapping his hands together. "I would advise you not to bring too many companions with you when you travel. And be careful about where you travel, some problems may arrive in your journey and as a jedi, and you should help. But keep in mind the importance of this mission. I would advise you to get right at it tomorrow morning, bright and early."

Alaanis and Bastila left the room as another man walked in.

"I demand to have a jedi investigate the kidnapping!" the man shouted. "Nurik Sandral will not get away with robbing me of my son!"

"Calm yourself Mr. Matale," Master Vrook said with a slight glare at the man. Alaanis and Bastila paused at the edge of the room. "You have no proof that your son was kidnapped by Mr. Sandral."

"I don't need proof! It's obvious!" Mr. Matale responded angrily. He left the room fuming, and Vandar sighed and looked pointedly at Bastila and Alaanis.

"Perhaps you two could stop by Ahlan Matale's home and help him in his search for his son Shen," Master Vandar told them reluctantly. "Keep in mind, you should only do this if you have time, but I feel it is our responsibilities as jedi to keep the peace, and since you two are traveling in that direction, you could stop by."

"We will try master," Bastila replied. The two women walked out of the room. Bastila sighed as they neared the med bay in the enclave.

"I take it you have heard of the Sandrals and Matales before?" Alaanis probed.

"Yes," Bastila sighed again. "They have been at each other's throats since they both arrived here around the time I started at the enclave when I was about seven. I remember the masters being exasperated constantly at the issues those two families had. Some families just cannot get along."

"They should be able to," Alaanis shrugged. "Maybe they're just angry with themselves and are taking it out on their neighbors."

"It could be so."

"What about your family?" Alaanis asked the younger woman as they stood outside the med bay. "Did you guys get along very well?"

"Well… my father and I got along quite well," Bastila reminisced happily. "He was a treasure hunter I suppose. He was always hunting for fortunes. I didn't want him to do it so much, but my mother pushed him into it. I remember that when I left for the jedi my mother was practically jubilant with the fact that I was being taken of her hands. My father was less happy I was leaving. I still miss him." Bastila sighed and seemed to be mentally scolding herself. "But jedi aren't allowed attachments, romantic or familial."

"You don't have much conviction in those words," Alaanis pointed out. Bastila turned away from her. "You don't really believe that do you?"

"Well… I do miss my father," Bastila said, her back still to Alaanis.

"I miss my family as well," Alaanis smiled putting her hand on Bastila's shoulder. "I think you'll survive. You have your friends with you." Bastila turned around and smiled at Alaanis.

"Thanks." Alaanis opened the door and the brunette and blonde walked into the group of people chatting with Mission who was still sitting in the medical bed.

XxXxX

Carth was watching Canderous prove his Mandalorian glory by acting superior towards Mission and she in return made fun of his warrior power while the Twi'lek and Zaalbar were admiring the map Alaanis had given Mission for her Life Day. He wondered where Alaanis and Bastila were; they had been gone for around half an hour now.

Just then the door to the medical bay opened and Bastila and Alaanis walked in. Both were smiling lightly. Carth admired Alaanis as she walked over to Mission who hugged the human female tightly and thanked her for the gift.

"I love it Al!" Mission cried out. "It's such a wonderful gift!"

"No problem Mission," Alaanis smiled. Carth felt like he was probably being such an idiot, staring at her hair that was falling around her ears now, her black roots growing in. The color reminded him of the color of Revan's hair in the hologram he had shown Alaanis earlier that day. In fact, Carth could almost say they looked exactly alike. Except for their eyes. Alaanis' eyes were a warm yet icy blue, and Revan's were a piercing green. Carth should've been paranoid about this, being his paranoid self and all, but he found himself admiring Alaanis too much to suspect much of such things. Plus, Revan was dead.

Carth turned abruptly away from her, not wanting to get caught staring.

"I think it's time to get some sleep," he decided to say after a long time of conversation when Mission was beginning to droop onto Zaalbar, and Bastila looked dead on her feet in the corner of the room.

"First, before we leave," Bastila began, dropping out of her trance and looking more alert than before. "Alaanis and I are to go on a mission tomorrow, but I think we should have another companion along."

"And before you even say you want to Mission, you're in no condition to do anything with that wrist of yours," Alaanis declared seeing Mission open her mouth. The blue Twi'lek pouted slightly, but accepted Alaanis' reasoning.

"I'll go," Canderous growled. Bastila's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see what kind of Mandalorians people are complaining about around here. I've been trying to catch sight of them for a while, but haven't had any luck."

"Okay, sounds good, we should leave soon after dawn," Alaanis announced. They all walked back to the Ebon Hawk to sleep, Zaalbar carrying a half-asleep now fifteen-year-old Mission along. Bastila was walking ahead of the group; Canderous at her side and instead of arguing there was just a tense silence about them. Carth, Alaanis and T3 held up the rear end in a more comfortable silence.

After arriving at the Hawk, everybody feel asleep quickly. Well, except for Carth.

The republic pilot was wondering what he had gotten himself into when he had communicated Alaanis back on the Endar Spire. Had he expected himself to end up in a jedi enclave with a teenage Twi'lek, her Wookie pal, two jedi, a Mandalorian and an astromech droid? And to have something for one of the said jedi?

_No,_ he told himself internally. He hadn't expected this. But did it really mean it wasn't that bad?

_I guess Alaanis' destiny isn't the only one that seems a bit fuzzy._ And with that thought he fell into a dreamless sleep.

XxXxX

By mid morning Canderous, Bastila and Alaanis were ready to leave the enclave after Bastila met with the masters once again for a reason she had no intention divulging Alaanis or Canderous with.

They had their supplies in Alaanis' typical over-sized bag and both jedi had their lightsabers with them. Canderous had his repeater as well as his back-up Mandalorian pistols and a pair of vibroswords. They were walking in silence along the pathway into the courtyard with just the simple noises of the beautiful Dantooine day until they were interrupted by a woman running towards the enclave, crying loudly. She ran right into Bastila.

"Um… excuse me ma'am are you alright?" she asked calmly. The woman sobbed onto Bastila's shoulder for a few moments. The young jedi looked bewilderedly at Canderous and Alaanis who were both staring at the woman in surprise.

"My companion!" the woman shrieked. "He's gone!"

Bastila's eyes grew slightly wide as she grabbed the woman's shoulders and pulled her a good foot away from Bastila. "Your companion is missing? Please, explain to us what happened."

The woman's crying lightened considerably as she told the story. "I was out getting some supplies and I came back and the door was open and I went inside and he was gone! The door hadn't been forced open so it was obvious the lock had been picked or perhaps he was taken by surprise. Maybe the attackers knocked and he answered and they took him!" She fell back into sobbing and back onto Bastila.

"Are you sure he didn't just go out for a walk or something?" Alaanis asked tentatively.

"I'm certain he didn't!" the woman cried indignantly. "His programming-"

"A droid!" Canderous began laughing. "Your companion is a droid?" Bastila sent a force wave knocking Canderous back into a short wall where he tripped. Alaanis snorted as Canderous glared at Bastila.

"Yes, but he's all I have left of my husband!" the woman continued crying.

"What's your name miss?" Alaanis questioned her.

"Elise," she replied, hiccoughing and picking herself up off of Bastila. Canderous walked back over to the three women. "Please, you have to help me! If you find my droid, please send him back to me! He's all I have!"

Canderous raised an eyebrow at Alaanis who sent him a look that plainly told him to not say a word. Bastila told Elise that they would keep an eye out for her droid. She thanked them and walked towards a speeder that clearly was her own.

"I can't blame the droid for running out on her," Canderous said as he, Bastila and Alaanis continued on their way towards the ancient ruins the masters had implanted into Alaanis' map in her journal.

"Nobody says the droid ran out," Bastila told him tersely.

"I'm guessing it did," Canderous retorted. "We Mandalorians use droids for fighting, training, and construction. But we use our people whenever we can. How someone gains a personal attachment to a droid is beyond me."

"You heard her, it's her last remain of her husband," Bastila growled. "It obviously means something to her."

"Yeah, it means she's a nut job," Canderous mumbled. Alaanis secretly agreed with Canderous, but she wasn't going to say anything. The three continued walking on in silence for a little while.

A little ways further though, they came to another bump in the road. A small cottage obviously not very significant or strong in the way it was built from wood and hay only was on fire. And the starters of the fire were standing around the house jeering. They were Mandalorians. And they were pushing around three small children and a woman who was obviously their mother in a circle outside of the house.

Alaanis looked up at Canderous who was wearing a disgusted look on his face. "These Mandalorians are disgraceful! Attacking the woman and the children? Burning down an insignificant home? Barbaric! It destroys the image of Mandalorian honor!"

Before even waiting for Alaanis and Bastila, Canderous rushed on ahead to the six Mandalorian and two Duros standing around. The two Duros were robbing the house of its food and supplies, though little.

"What have we here?" Canderous growled menacingly. The six Mandalorians looked up at Canderous and saw the Mandalorian repeater and the Ordo clan tattoos on his arms.

"Come join the fun Mandalorian of Ordo!" one of the Mandalorians called. Canderous growled and bore his teeth angrily.

"Fun?" he barked at them. All six stopped tossing the woman and children around and stared at Canderous. "This isn't fun, it's dishonoring! What happened to Mandalorian honor? You do not deserve to call yourselves Mandalorians punks!" And before waiting for a retort, Canderous began aiming and blasting away the offenders.

Alaanis and Bastila ignited their lightsabers and followed Canderous' example. The Mandalorians were poor fighters, obviously used to weak prey instead of a trained Mandalorian and two jedi. Without too much of a fight they were all but one dead.

"You will regret the day you betrayed us!" he called to Canderous, slicing the throat of the child he held, switching on his stealth generator and running off, obviously to report to a higher authority. "You are a disgrace!" Canderous shouted.

Alaanis looked down at the little girl the Mandalorian had attacked. Her dark skin was covered in blood around her neck and her hair was a mess, some ripped out from the abuse of the Mandalorians before they had interfered. Her brown eyes were open in fear and sadness in her death. Alaanis lifted the small girl and walked over to the woman and her son and second daughter.

"I am sorry we couldn't save her," Alaanis said quietly. Bastila was standing by her side and Canderous was still looking angrily in the direction the Mandalorian had run off in.

"It is okay master jedi," the mother told her, taking her daughter's dead body into her own arms and wrapping it into a cloak. "You saved me and my other children and for that I thank you." She smiled through the tears falling down her face. "Alisha was a good daughter, but perhaps it was her time. Sad as it is to accept." The woman began crying harder and behind her, the burning house's roof collapsed.

"Perhaps you could stay at the jedi enclave ma'am," Bastila proposed. The woman nodded. "Thank you. We know the way, it isn't far."

"No, I will call for an escort," Bastila protested. She pulled out her comlink and called the enclave, requesting an escort to arrive. It only took about five minutes for an older knight to arrive.

"I am sorry to hear of your loss," the man told the crying woman. Her two surviving children were staring in fear. "Where is your husband?"

"He went out hunting," she replied. "He was always afraid this would happen. He will come to the enclave to look for us." The woman turned back towards Bastila and Alaanis. "Thank you both. And your friend over there. If he is a Mandalorian as he said, perhaps they all aren't as bad as those that attacked us." She smiled and with the jedi knight guiding her and her children, the left the blazing home behind.

Alaanis turned towards Canderous, still staring angrily into the field.

"Mandalorian honor is the only thing most Mandalorians have nowadays since we lost the war," Canderous growled. "It seems like some decided to give up that as well." He turned towards her, but was staring more at Bastila than Alaanis as he said the next part. "Not all Mandalorians are like that. Most have honor. Most are better than that scum."

Bastila looked up at him and nodded. She was beginning to understand the Mandalorian. Just beginning. "We should get going," Alaanis told them quietly. "We have other jedi issues to deal with." And so the three of them continued walking towards the ancient jedi ruins, this time with no more interruptions.

It was a magnificent sight. Alaanis stared in awe at the ruins. They looked older than the planet itself, but they still appeared to be in good condition, neither brittle nor cracking or overrun with much moss. And she could feel the power emanating off of them. The force surged in this place. Tall pillars rose out of the ground, centering around a large dome that obviously went underground. A stone door opened as she touched it, and the three walked inside without a second thought.

The stone door closed behind Alaanis, Bastila and Canderous, surprising the older woman slightly as she suppressed a sneeze. It was dark, dusty and damp in the ruins. Shallow light entered the large square room they were located in from holes in the roof, very small and letting through little sunlight from above. There was one door opposite the entrance, and walking through the room Bastila put her hand up to it, and it opened.

In front of them, in a smaller square room, was an ancient droid, covered in the same dust and dampness as the rest of the stone ruins. Also in the room, besides three doors, was the body of a senior jedi knight.

"Poor Nemo," Bastila mumbled as she spotted the jedi knight. Nemo was apparently an older man in his mid fifties or sixties, his hair grey and his body limp. "That droid must've killed him." Bastila's eyes grew wide as the droid let loose a garble of unintelligible speech.

Canderous gave the droid a look. "Okay, jedi are supposed to understand all sorts of dead languages. Did either of you understand that?"

Alaanis shook her head. "I have no clue what that droid said. I heard a couple understandable words… they sounded a bit like an ancient Selkath language."

The droid spoke again, this time in a way Alaanis understood. ":You are neither the builders or the slaves. Who are you:" the droid asked.

Bastila's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why would a droid on Dantooine speak ancient Selkath?"

":I was instructed to understand the language of both the Builders and the slaves. This is the language of one of the slave species. It seems to be the language you understand:" the droid informed them. ":Why have you come:"

Alaanis considered why they had come. "Did you kill that man over there?" she asked, jerking her hand in the direction of Nemo's still body.

":No:" the droid replied. ":He attempted to surpass the defense of this structure and failed. I did not kill him.:" Alaanis was curios as to what these defenses were and asked. ":Error, no memory of answer to such question. Please, ask a different question.:"

Alaanis sighed. The droid almost sounded like a phony psychic from Nar Shaada or Coruscant. Cryptic answers, just like the ones most of the jedi gave.

"Do you know anything of a Star Forge?" Bastila asked the droid.

":Error, no memory of answer to such question. Please, ask a different question.:" the droid repeated. Bastila sighed this time.

"Well, how do we get past you into these rooms?" Canderous asked the droid. The droid replied, and Bastila translated.

"He says that there is nothing stopping us. But the rooms to the east and the west are the ones we may enter first. He says that if we exit those rooms alive we may enter the room to the north." Bastila shivered slightly at what could be behind those doors.

"Sounds like suicide," Canderous grumbled. "What is the importance of these ruins anyways?"

"They're very important Canderous," Bastila growled. "They're more important than you'd expect, much less comprehend." Her eyes narrowed and his matched as he took a challenging step towards her. "Try me," he said menacingly, towering over the young jedi.

"Stop, both of you," Alaanis finally stepped in. "This isn't solving anything. How about we just see what's behind those doors?" Bastila turned away from the Mandalorian in front of her and her glare dissipated.

"My apologies," Bastila nodded her head. "Alaanis is right. We should simply enter the rooms and see what's inside." She turned towards the door and tried to open it in the same manner as the first door had opened. "It's locked." Bastila groaned.

Alaanis smiled suddenly. She remembered something from her training, a question Master Zhar had asked her once. 'You come across a locked door. What would you do?' he had asked her. Alaanis had smiled to herself, expecting to probably end up kicking down the door, but thought amusingly at the thought of knocking on a door behind which Darth Malak stood with his lightsaber ready for battle. 'I'd knock,' Alaanis had replied, smirking. Master Zhar had looked at her curiously after that.

With that thought in mind, Alaanis walked to the door and knocked on it. Bastila and Canderous both gave her looks, but both looks turned from skepticism to shock as the door opened and behind it two droids stood, backing away from them.

":The droids are malfunctioning:" the droid from the center chamber told them. ":They will begin shooting at a sound like the one you issued by pressing your fist against the door at an increased speed. They will stop if you do the same thing. They were ready to shoot before you 'knocked' on the door. They will turn back to their assassination protocols if you make the noise again. Unless you fix them.:"

Alaanis looked incredulously at the droids in front of her. Stepping on the stone floor would certainly result in them aiming their guns at the three trespassers. But a second step would stop them…

"You guys stay back," Alaanis muttered. "I'll fix the droids." Bastila stared at Alaanis.

"You can't do it; you're going to make enough noise by simply walking!" Bastila whispered, trying not to disturb the droids. Alaanis smirked at the younger jedi and took two steps.

After the first step, the droids perked their robotic heads up and began aiming their gun, but with the second step, their guns were lowered and their eyes that had begun lighting up shut off. Bastila took in a sharp breath. Canderous was smirking. Alaanis continued towards the droids, following in the same manner as she had begun with. She was just in front of the droids and then grabbed a hydrospanner from her gigantic pack. It fell on the ground as she took it out. Quickly, Bastila stomped on the ground. Alaanis shot a grateful smile towards her fellow jedi.

It took her about five minutes until she had reprogrammed the droids, deactivating their noise sensors and programming Alaanis, Bastila and Canderous as 'friendlies' and not to shoot them. Alaanis walked back to Canderous and Bastila, both staring at her with a new respect.

":Good work:" the droid from the central chamber stated as the three intruders crossed its path. ":You clearly have the hands of a mechanic. Unfortunately, the droids in the chamber to the east have no chance of being fixed. You will have to face them yourselves. And open the door without 'knocking' this time.:" The droid silenced and the three companions glanced at each other.

Bastila sat down on the floor and closed her eyes as if in meditation. Canderous simply stared at her. "What are you doing?" he asked her as if she was crazy.

"I'm seeing how many droids are in that chamber," Bastila told him calmly. Alaanis thought of something suddenly. "Hey Bastila… can't you use your battle meditation to help us?"

Bastila looked up at Alaanis and nodded her head. "I could, but there are only two droids in the chamber anyways. And it is not very effective on droids as it is on sentients. It could work, disabling the droids abilities slightly, but we don't need my battle meditation. If we work together that is. I'm certain these droids will probably be a bit more advanced if they've survived for this long." She took a look down at Nemo's body as she stood up. "And killed Nemo."

Alaanis looked over at the east door and examined it for a minute. Closing her eyes and drawing upon the force, she opened the door with her mind first, and then she heard the rumblings of the door opening, along with blaster shots headed her way.

She ignited her lightsaber in a flash, the pale yellow glow lighting the dim room and blocking the blaster bolts back at the droid aiming for her. Bastila ignited her double bladed lightsaber and charged towards the spider-like droids with their many legs, deflecting their rapid shots at the same moment. Canderous aimed his Mandalorian repeater, roaring along with his machine while he blasted away the droid Bastila was heading towards first. It's defense was disabled by Canderous' work, as well as it's formal weapons, but its flamethrower was just beginning its work as it singed Bastila's back as she leaped out of the way. She screamed, but kept on fighting the droids, continuously chopping off its many legs with her lightsaber. Alaanis was busy with the second droid, shoving her lightsaber straight into its core. The droid collapsed onto the ground, defeated by Alaanis' lightsaber just as Canderous shot his repeater right into the heart of the second droid.

Bastila groaned. She felt like her back was on fire. Canderous and Alaanis examined her back quickly. "It doesn't look good," Alaanis stated obviously. "Well, you'll be fine, especially if you call upon the force for some help, but…"

"The flesh is seriously scorched," Canderous said, walking around Bastila. "Hey Pi can I get some light?" Alaanis nodded and ignited her lightsaber, just below Bastila's back. "I know a Mandalorian remedy that's good for this sort of burn." Canderous smirked. "A friend of mine got a minor burn on his leg like this after screwing up his droid… who was conveniently sporting a flamethrower." Alaanis put her lightsaber back in her belt after switching it off.

"Let's keep going," Bastila muttered. The back of her robes were ripped off, it was obviously falling apart. "But first I need a new robe." She ripped off the brown one she had been wearing, showing to be simply wearing normal clothes underneath, just a tan shirt and pants. She spotted Nemo. "I hope he doesn't mind…" she muttered as she pulled off his blue robe and put it on herself.

"He's dead, I doubt he minds right now," Alaanis replied, shrugging.

":So you survived both chambers:" the droid told the three as they stood in front of him. ":I will open the northern chamber for you now.:" Behind the droid, the third door opened. Alaanis led her two companions into the room, where it was like the room they entered… only there was something at the end opposite the door.

Two statues stood insignificantly with a… thing between them. "What is it?" Alaanis asked as they approached the thing. Just as she spoke, the 'thing' opened with a hiss, four sides of a thin triangular prism over a platform lowering, a map of the galaxy appeared.

"It looks like a map," Bastila stated the obvious. "And there are five worlds that seem to be blinking." Alaanis looked closer and indeed did see five worlds blinking.

Bastila began pointing at the map, scrunching up her face in concentration. "This one here is Dantooine, where we are right now. And if that's so, then over here… that's Tatooine. And over there is Manaan. And then that's Kashyyyk… and Korriban." She examined the map for another moment. "Do you think more of these maps will lead us to whatever that 'Star Forge' thing is?"

Alaanis shrugged. "It's a good educated guess. Maybe we should speak to the council."

"Well obviously we should," Bastila scoffed. Then she reddened slightly. "Sorry. Master Vrook says I have a tendency of being impatient." _Well he has a tendency to be skeptical. I think he and Carth would get along quite well, they're both overly paranoid._

"It's okay," Alaanis told her. She pulled out her journal and added the Star Map to her datapad. She saw a blip in the map. "There's a spot missing in the map. Like a whole sector."

Bastila looked at the map again. "You're right. It seems like somebody corrupted this data to erase that area. Maybe with information from other Star Maps we could fix this."

"If there are other Star Maps," Canderous noted. "It's quite a long shot."

"I think it might end up having to be one we have to take," Bastila said solemnly.

XxXxX

As the group approached the Sandral estate Bastila wondered how she had gotten them wrapped into this familial problem. The Matales and the Sandrals had been bickering since Bastila had arrived at the jedi enclave thirteen years ago. And now Ahlan Matale was assuming that Nurik Sandral had kidnapped his son.

The thing was that Nurik had a 'motive'. It turned out that Nurik's son had gone missing about a year ago, and he thought Ahlan had kidnapped him. Luckily enough for Ahlan, he had found Nurik's son's dead body, under a collapsed piece of architecture, and a journal with an entry just before his death. Ahlan had given Alaanis the journal to show to Nurik, hopefully persuading him to give Ahlan's son Shen back.

The problem was there was no guarantee that Nurik had kidnapped Shen. Bastila sighed. Why couldn't families get along with each other? She had once heard from a friend that families fought with other families because their own family had issues. This didn't surprise Bastila as her own family had never gotten along with other families when they traveled from place to place.

Bastila had shared these thoughts with Alaanis before, shortly before the departure for the ancient ruins. And now she was recalling them, as she knocked on the door to the Sandral estate. A droid spoke through a comm system.

"What is your business here jedi?" the droid asked.

"I come on behalf of the jedi council to speak with your master Nurik about the kidnapping of Shen Matale," Bastila declared. "As well as to speak of the disappearance of his son Cassus."

The droid seemed to be considering for a second. "Come on in jedi," he finally replied. "My master will speak with you shortly." The door opened in front of Bastila, Canderous and Alaanis as they walked inside.

The Sandral's estate's living room was a room of luxury. The couches were made of exotic materials, soft to the touch as the three guests were instructed by the droid to sit down. Potted plants and paintings covered the room in a lovely décor, and the antique rugs on the ground seemed to come from the richest of the core worlds.

"Ah, welcome master jedi," a tall dark man with balding grey hair greeted as he walked into the room. Bastila and Alaanis stood. Canderous seemed to like spiting people, and decided to stay sitting. Bastila shot him a glare, but he ignored.

"Let's speak shall we?" the man that must've been Nurik Sandral suggested, sitting down on a bleed red chair opposite the red couch Canderous was sitting on. Bastila and Alaanis sat on his left, looking down to business.

"Yes, let's," Alaanis said evenly. She pulled out the journal of Cassus. "I believe this is your son's journal. Ahlan Matale found it recently and asked me to give it to you in hopes you will realize that he did not steal your son from you. Your son died in an architectural accident."

Nurik read over the journal for a few moments before looking up at his visitors. "Thank you," he said lightly, and a bit distractedly. "This means a lot to me." Bastila smiled at him.

"But I assure you I did not kidnap Shen Matale," Nurik stated in a way that meant he would say no more. "Now if you'll excuse me, I am a very busy man." Standing up, and Bastila and Alaanis as well in respect, Nurik left the room. Bastila and Alaanis looked back at Canderous. Alaanis smirked, but Bastila narrowed her eyes.

"Lovely display of disrespect Mandalorian," Bastila growled. "I thought Mandalorians had honor."

"Honor for those who deserve it," Canderous replied, not moving from his comfortable position on the couch. "That man kidnapped his rival's son out of spite that much is obvious. I hold no respect for such men. He probably can't even hold his own family together."

"Well, he's trying."

Bastila, Alaanis and Canderous turned towards the direction Nurik had left just a minute or two ago. Standing there now was a young woman who was obviously his daughter. She was tall and lanky like her father, the same chocolate dark skin and brown eyes. Her brown hair was short, shorter than Alaanis', and she was standing in the doorway, fidgeting and looking a little uncertain.

"I'm Rahasia Sandral, Nurik is my father," the young woman said, introducing herself to the three strange visitors.

"Is something wrong Rahasia?" Bastila asked her. Rahasia was obviously just a couple years younger than Bastila, though much taller. She was fidgeting like crazy though.

"Um…" Rahasia started and then stopped. She spotted Canderous and twitched a little bit more. "My father, he isn't a bad man. He has had a few problems raising my brother and I on his own. My mother died when we were very young. And since my brother's disappearance he has been in grief. He blames the Matales for all our problems…"

"So he kidnapped Shen," Alaanis concluded. Rahasia nodded.

"Called that one," Canderous mumbled. Bastila shot him another look.

"Why are you telling us this Rahasia?" Alaanis asked Rahasia. The young woman stopped fidgeting for a moment and a slightly dreamy look overcame her face.

"I met Shen once, outside of my father's lies about him. When I was in the marketplace. He was so sweet and kind… I couldn't believe what my father had said about him. I continued seeing him for a few months. My brother met Shen and approved of him, and they became friends despite our fathers' hatred for each other." A light darkness overcame Rahasia face then. "But after my brother had been missing for some time, my father went in a rage of grief. He was so certain that Ahlan Matale had kidnapped Cassus that he kidnapped Shen, and has been hiding him in our home for months now, beating him. I try and help him whenever my father is asleep or out. But I'm afraid one day my father will go too far and kill Shen. It's a risk, but I have to save him! And I need your help."

Bastila and Alaanis exchanged glances. Bastila smiled at Rahasia. "We'll help you."

XxXxX

Bastila and Alaanis rushed through the halls of the Sandral estate, searching for the exit. Invisible to any passer-by with their stealth generators on, they were dragging along an equally invisible Shen Matale. Convincing him to leave was tough, but they had agreed to convince Rahasia too escape her father as well. The two were going to meet by the exit with the help of Alaanis and Bastila since Shen was in no condition to be wandering hostile walls alone. Canderous was going to meet there as well. Bastila had decided angrily that he wasn't sneaky enough. Though Alaanis agreed, Bastila's protests probably had more to do with the rudeness expressed by Canderous earlier rather than his stealth abilities.

_They bicker like little children,_ Alaanis thought to herself, mentally rolling her eyes. _And Canderous is like triple the age of Bastila, shouldn't he be more 'mature'?_ Then again, Canderous was Canderous, and obviously liked to spite Bastila.

Soon enough Bastila, Alaanis and Shen arrived just outside the house.

"Rahasia!" Shen whispered, since he hadn't the might to say anything louder. His clothes were torn in a few places, he was marked with dirt and water, his short black hair messed up as if he hadn't combed it in years. He looked weak beyond anything. Obviously Nurik hadn't been treating him well.

"Shen!" Rahasia called. She rushed forward to Shen and hugged him as tightly as he could without hurting his fragile body. He collapsed a bit onto her.

"Uh oh," Alaanis muttered, looking over on a hill to the north. Walking towards the estate was none other than Ahlan Matale and four of his droids. Bastila tapped her shoulder.

"More 'uh oh'," she said. Alaanis glanced over to where Bastila was pointing. Alaanis felt her jaw drop slightly at the sight of Nurik Sandral angrily walking towards Shen and Rahasia along with his own four droid. It only took a few moments until Nurik and Ahlan were both only feet away from their respective children.

"Shen!" cried Ahlan.

"Father!" Shen said weakly.

"Mr. Matale!" Rahasia said in slight fear.

"Rahasia!" Nurik called.

"Father!" Rahasia said, resuming her former fidgeting.

"Mr. Sandral!" Shen whispered in fear.

"Ahlan!" Nurik yelled angrily.

"Nurik!" Ahlan yelled back. "I knew you kidnapped my son you no good bantha fodder!"

"Mr. Matale," Rahasia began before she was cut off.

"Don't even get me started on you!" Ahlan screeched. "You don't deserve to breathe the air of this planet!" Rahasia looked hurt as she backed off.

"You stole my son long before I stole yours!" Nurik accused angrily.

"Did you not read the journal of your son I gave to the jedi here?" Ahlan questioned furiously. "You are beyond ignorant Sandral!" Nurik narrowed his eyes.

"It was a hoax and I know it as well as you do! You planted that journal and my son's body most likely. I don't believe you and your made up stories. You have been jealous of my family since we arrived here!"

"Jealous?"

"SHUT UP!" came Alaanis' voice into the mix. Nurik and Ahlan quieted for a moment before Nurik snarled. "Why should we listen to you jedi?"

"Because you are going to rip each other's heads off for stupid reasons if you don't listen to me!" Alaanis screamed. She looked outraged. Bastila tapped her shoulder to try and get the older woman to calm down a bit. But Alaanis shrugged her off. Through the bond the two women shared, Bastila could feel reason behind Alaanis' emotions. Necessary emotions for the situation.

"I think kidnap warrants me the ability to get a little angry," Ahlan spat.

"Listen to me first before you start a war though," Alaanis said, a bit more calm. Bastila was attempting to send her calming thoughts through the force bond, and it seemed to be paying off slightly. Alaanis took a deep breath.

"I know that you guys seem to hate each other, why I have no idea because it seems like you have a lot in common and the only thing stopping you from getting along is some ideal you have about each other being evil maniacs. Oh and just for your information, your children seem to love each other. Shen and Rahasia. And I don't blame them because despite the influence they got from you, they seem like really nice kids." Alaanis gave a last glare at the parents and looked over to Shen and Rahasia. "If they don't get along, come to the jedi enclave, both of you. I'm sure you'd be welcome." Alaanis gave them a last smile, and with Bastila and Canderous at her side, they left.

Behind them they could hear Shen and Rahasia convincing their parents to get along.

On their way back towards the jedi enclave from the Sandral estate, once again Alaanis, Bastila and Canderous encountered Mandalorians. Canderous glared at them as the seven Mandalorians approached.

"I have heard about you Mandalorian of Ordo," the leader of the Mandalorians acknowledged Canderous. "I have heard you killed some of our group. Your own clan members were in that group you killed. Two Ordo."

"They did not deserve to wear the name of Ordo," Canderous snarled. The Mandalorians laughed.

"I am Sherruk," the offending Mandalorian declared. "And I have killed my share of jedi, sporting their scalps and lightsabers as my prizes. You jedi pets don't scare me." He cocked his gun and aimed.

Before Canderous had a chance to move he was hit in the shoulder by the blaster shot. It wasn't serious though, and Canderous took this as his motivation. He pulled up his repeater and blasted away a second Mandalorian that began charging at him. Alaanis pulled out her lightsaber, and in one swift movement sliced a third Mandalorian up in front of her. Bastila used her double-bladed lightsaber to challenge two different Mandalorians both armed with swords. Canderous began shooting at the Mandalorians Bastila was facing while Alaanis hacked at another one who didn't stand a chance against Alaanis' skill. Three down. The two Bastila was facing with the assistance of Canderous fell. Five down. Alaanis kicked one of the Mandalorians as he approached her from behind and knocked him to the ground where he met Bastila's lightsaber sticking into his gut. Sherruk was the only one left.

"You cannot defeat me!" Sherruk cried as he threw a grenade at Bastila and Canderous. Canderous was quicker in the reaction (though Bastila never would admit it) and grabbed Bastila and they jumped out of the way of the plasma grenade Sherruk had thrown.

"Let go!" cried Bastila. Canderous complied and she fell to the ground out of his grasp. While this short argument took place, Alaanis stabbed Sherruk with her lightsaber. He was obviously dying, but hadn't yet.

Canderous walked over to Sherruk. The last thing he did before Canderous shot him in the head was spit onto Canderous. The living Mandalorian glared at the dead one's body. "Scum," he muttered, kicking Sherruk out of his way.

Alaanis took a glance at Sherruk's belt. "He wasn't lying," she said quietly. "He's got about six lightsabers on that belt. Most of them are broken, but there's two that look fine…" Alaanis ignited one of them that lit up with a violet glow. She swished it around and pocketed it. She picked up a second one that was blue and pocketed that as well. Alaanis salvaged crystals from the other lightsabers before the three companions left behind the Mandalorians and headed back to the jedi enclave.

XxXxX

By news of Shen and Rahasia themselves, Alaanis and Bastila discovered later that day that their parents had finally agreed to let their children get married, and to get along with each other. Rahasia had laughed as she recalled their awkward handshake.

After Shen and Rahasia left the jedi enclave, Bastila and Alaanis reported back to the jedi council and reported what they had found in the ancient ruins, and told them about the Mandalorians they had encountered as well as the Matale/Sandral feud they had resolved.

"We agree with young Bastila," Master Vandar declared. "We believe you should investigate the other four planets for traces of these Star Maps and the Star Forge."

"You're putting us on a mission… without a jedi master?" Bastila asked incredulously.

"We don't have many knights or masters to spare," Vrook pointed out. "In addition to that, we feel secrecy is a better idea than a full on assault. A small team of jedi seems to be a better idea than an army of them."

Bastila and Alaanis bowed their heads. "Who will be coming with us?" Alaanis asked the masters.

"You may continue with your crew from Taris," Master Dorak decided. "Their skills should come in handy. And of course, Bastila will be traveling with you."

"Also, Padawan Juhani has requested that she travel with you," Vrook added. "She will be coming by your ship later this evening. We think that you should leave in the morning to begin your mission. The order of the planets doesn't very much matter, just that you contact us if and when you locate the Star Maps on each world."

"As you wish masters," Bastila complied. The two young jedi Padawans left the council chambers, leaving behind the world of jedi issues everyone seemed to have, and heading towards the Ebon Hawk.

XxXxX

AH! Nineteen pages! A new record! Yay! XD And so many reviews! You guys are awesome! I'm sorry for the long delay in updating. After finals I was roused with a huge case of writer's block. I finally was able to pull through it today and tack on the last ten pages of this chapter. I'm sorry if it's not very good, but I'm trying! Yah! Anyways… It's so relieving to have gotten this chapter out and finally finished Dantooine. Expect a Story Break shortly. I actually need to write up a new one because the jump from the first one to the ones I've written is a little big.

Anyways, I noticed in the second chapter that I sad Alaanis was 26. Ah! I was wrong. I made her 27. As I stated in a different chapter. Anyways, thanks for the TONS of reviews! Now I shall comment on them all. XD

_Greatstar _– Thanks! I think I'm a little hard on Mission lol. First she gets captured by the sith and then she gets knocked into a cliff wall! I was going to make a bigger deal out of Bastila's pyro friend the droid, but I felt Bastila would never hear the end of it if we actually read about Canderous treating her wounds!

_Resident roach code metallica_ – As you can see this chapter is even longer! XD Yay! Lol, anyways, for the Carth/Alaanis romance, all we can do it wait… ;-)

_Lunatic Pandora1_ – Canderous gets to meet the Mandalorians in this chapter, no worries!

_Kaoru Himura2_ - -continues writing as quickly as possible- X

_Shadows Run_ – Lots of reviews! Yay! I feel so special, and it's good to see you reviewing again:) Now… As for Sienna, don't worry you'll find out in a couple story breaks if you still don't see who she is. XD Plus, she's going to be in the sequel, so we'll meet her! Whee! As for the Carth age thing, yeah, I know I got it wrong, I don't care, I'm making him younger because, well, I feel like it lol. As for Alaanis' brothers, I decided that the council would probably be so logical as to make Alaanis' past be almost a lot like Revan's, because in case Revan's memories arise they won't be so different than the real ones. So yes her brothers are in fact real. As for more chapters for you, I actually did send this one to you, but after just rereading the reviews I realized that your email is broken you say. Can you tell me your aim address? Mine is CrazyMissSarah21 in case you wanna contact me. Just so that I could get you to read over some of the chapters. :)

_Wild's Daughter_ – Oki, I started reading Prisoner's story but I haven't gotten to Canderous yet lol. I am trying to get Canderous right, but he is hard to write. Hopefully I interpreted him better in this chapter?

_beatletrekkie_ – Thanks and thanks! My finals went by pretty well. I only know about my geometry final so far, which I got a B on (which is good for our class, it was such a hard class) but I think I did fine. :) I'm glad you like my fic so much!

Thanks again everybody! The reviews make me feel REAL happy! And they usually inspire me. So, thanks so much! XD Yay! Okay, well, I'm having issues writing these last sentences because I'm on the phone with a bone-headed friend of mine. He's teasing his little brother by talking about how he kissed his girlfriend (one of my best friends). Anyways, I'm off because it's really hard to write anymore while I'm on the phone, and well I have nothing more to say! Next up: Kashyyyk, right after the Story Break Two. And Shadows Run, IM me asap:)

6-11-05


	14. SB2: Requesting the Unthinkable

Here comes the second Story Break! Yay! Anyways, enjoy this while I may take some time writing up the next chapter, though I will try and hurry. I was unsure of this, but I had heard from somewhere because I played the second game very uncarefully that Kreia's last name was Kae? So, that's her last name in my story then. If it's wrong, somebody correct me and I will (eventually) revise it. Anyways, here goes! And if you still don't know who Sienna is… ;) 

XxXxX

Story Break Two: Requesting the Unthinkable 

"No I will absolutely NOT!" screeched young Revan Kombi, a girl of fourteen years with long black hair, currently pulled back in a ponytail, and piercing green eyes. Along with this young Padawan were two other fourteen year olds, Malak Bilk and Sienna Vaas.

"Fine Rev, forget I brought it up," Sienna, a girl a bit shorter than Revan with slightly more tanned skin, though still very pale, with blonde hair down to her shoulders and deep blue eyes.

"Please do," Revan pretended to shudder. Malak was staying awfully quiet, his brown eyes avoiding both the girls surrounding him. _I need some more guy friends,_ he thought to himself.

"Sorry for putting you through that Mal," Sienna shrugged. "I didn't expect Revan to explode like that for a simple dare."

The three young Padawans were walking through the halls of the jedi enclave, a rarity, as it was that they were all in the jedi enclave together. Masters had chosen all three some time ago, when they were still twelve. Just recently Revan had turned fourteen, and her master, Master Kae, had decided to give her a break from the intense missions they were usually assigned on. It turned out that Malak and his master, Master Hale, were stopping by for the day, and Sienna and her master, Master Vash, had to make a stop on Dantooine on their vessel towards their next mission.

"Well when it's an embarrassing and stupid dare like that you expect me to accept with gratefulness?" Revan exclaimed. They stopped walking for a moment while Revan mockingly began pretending she was in love with Malak. "Oh Malak! Of course I'll kiss you! Muah muah muah!" Malak was blushing crimson and Sienna was laughing.

Her blue eyes turned to Malak's avoiding brown ones. _I think he likes her,_ Sienna thought to herself. _Well, why else would he be blushing so hard?_ Sienna smirked to herself.

"Shush Revan," Malak finally told her after five minutes of her playfulness. Revan gave him a look and began laughing again.

"What do you really want a kiss?" she asked him, puckering her lips and feigning love for him again. "You never get tired of making yourself out to be a fool do you?" Sienna asked the black-haired Padawan. Revan shook her head, smiling broadly.

The three walked on in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Sienna felt the calmness of Dantooine wash over her as they walked. She had missed the quiet of the planet. Too many missions in too few years had made her jedi life extraordinarily busy.

"Remember the old crystal cave we found when we were ten?" Revan brought up. "Down near old Sandral's fancy estate?"

Malak chuckled. "Who couldn't? When Master Vrook found us that far from the enclave, when we were supposed to be in weapons training?"

"Well no wonder you can't handle that lightsaber even after four years Mal!" Revan giggled. "You were never good with that thing." Malak frowned.

"I've gotten better," he protested.

"Let's have some proof," Revan challenged, igniting her yellow blade. Malak pulled out his blue blade. Sienna sat down on a nearby bench while the two battled out their lightsaber techniques. Obviously Revan was better than Malak in the forms, but Malak had a bit more strength to back up his fighting. His reactions were better as was his footwork. He was a worthy opponent to Revan. Probably better than Sienna was, though the lightsaber wasn't the blonde's strength.

After ten minutes of battle, Revan finally backed off and deactivated her lightsaber. "You were right, you are better." Malak switched off his lightsaber. Both were panting slightly.

"Told you so," he said smirking. Sienna stood up.

"How about we keep on walking without some lightsaber duels this time?" she suggested. Her two best friends complied.

"Training under Master Hale is real tough work, the guy drills the jedi code in my mind every morning before any breakfast," Malak confided. "He's an honorable swordsman and a very strong jedi, but he's so hard on me."

Sienna could agree. "I like Master Vash and all, but she's one challenging master. She's not your average master, always asking me what I'd do and then telling me I'm wrong or right. I'm usually wrong." She rolled her eyes.

"Well Master Kae…" Revan cut herself off and shushed both her companions before they could question her.

Motioning towards the council chambers down the hallway, she smiled at Sienna and Malak before stealthily walking towards the training room, where the three knew from experience that you could hear every word from inside the council chambers.

"Block your force auras," Revan whispered. Sienna had an easy time covering hers, as Master Vash had taught her how to on their last mission against a Dark Jedi terrorizing a town on the planet of Kodai. Malak complied as well, but seemed to have a harder time. Apparently his master hadn't taught him how to and he had to rely on their attempts back when they were still apprentices at the enclave.

"…Why have you asked me to come here?" came the recognizable voice of Kreia Kae, Revan's master. "Your Revan and I have business to attend to. Business assigned to us from the high council on Coruscant."

"We have asked you to come here to request you switch Padawans with another master," came the voice of Master Vrook, a stodgy older man, and a strict master. Revan's eyes narrowed at his voice and comments.

"I will not bow to these outrageous wishes!" Kreia said in a slightly raised voice. "You consistently ask me to stop training young Revan, though she is consistently progressing and learning!"

"You are too reckless for such a reckless Padawan," came another master's voice, one none of the three listeners could identify.

"You expect me to turn her against the jedi?" Kreia laughed. "If that is her destiny you see before her, she would do it with or without my help. Revan is a fine young woman, and an even finer young jedi. By sending me away and giving her to a master like yourself Vrook she would turn faster than you could blink!"

"And it would be your doing!" Sienna recognized that voice as well, but it wasn't a master that was usually on Dantooine. It was Atris of the high council on Coruscant.

"Continue to blame me," Kreia declared. "But whatever you have seen for young Revan, is wrong. Because that is one fine Padawan I have been training for the past two years. And I will continue to train her until she is ready for the trails, which I know she will pass with flying colors, no matter what obstacles you throw in her way! Whether I am her master or not!" With that Kreia's footsteps could be heard as she left the chambers.

Revan grabbed Sienna and Malak and the two hurried out of the training room soundlessly, Revan fuming.

"I am not reckless!" she cried.

"Um… yes you are," Malak piped up. "But not in a bad way. You're just more adventurous and have a thirst for excitement."

"And that's not the 'jedi way'," Revan rolled her eyes. "I am reckless aren't I?" she said grinning.

Sienna could read that look any day. It meant Revan was about to do something spontaneous. As per usual. Then Revan leaned over to Malak and kissed him. Though Sienna wasn't surprised (it was obvious to her that Revan would do something like that) Malak was blushing slightly and quite bamboozled.

"Um… right," he said uncertainly. "Let's keep walking shall we?"

Revan laughed at his confusion, but Sienna was a bit deeper in thought. _Aha! I was right! He likes her! But wait… we're all jedi. And jedi are forbidden to love. And to me it looks sort of like Revan doesn't see him the way he sees her…_

Sienna didn't need to be a jedi to see that trouble was ahead for those emotions.

XxXxX

Okay, well, here it is, the second story break. I had one that took place at the trials, just as some major news is delivered lined up for this story break, but it seemed like a huge jump from nine to twenty, so I threw this in, as they are fourteen. I wasn't sure who to give Sienna as a master, so I gave her Master Vash since I know she existed, as we don't know much about her. Heh. And Master Hale I just made up. Anyways, there it is. Next up is chapter twelve where we get to go to none other than Kashyyyk! Yay! Now commenting on the reviews…

Phantom Menace – Thankies! X)

Shadows Run – I very much agree. How many Mandalorians are just standing around, waiting for jedi to come? Well, besides the stupid ones… Anyways, so what is your email address? Well, actually, just email me. Check me profile page for it.

Lunatic Pandora1 – Heehee… unfortunately I'm not as big a fan of HK as everybody else seems to be, but don't worry, I'll spend plenty of time having fun with HK once we're on Tatooine. XD

Trillian4210 – Thanks, I'm glad you are liking the story! I got a few complaints in the past for short chapters. Long ones take longer to get out, but feel more rewarding once they are.

Greatstar – I didn't do it graphically when Mission broke her wrist, but when Juhani slammed her back into the cliff wall, Mission's wrist actually was the first thing that hit the wall, followed by her head hitting the wrist. I thought if her head had hit the wall she'd have probably died. Thank goodness for wrists!

Nath – Thanks for the review! I'm trying to get some romance into the story, but it's more of an action and adventure fic really. Don't worry, stick around and in the sequel hopefully we'll see more romance abound. ;)

Resident roach code metallica – I will hurry:) Hope this suffices for now!

Rachil Fayrchild - -Attempts to think of good romance to throw into Kashyyk- It seems like everybody here is a Carthaholic! XD

Thanks everyone for the reviews! I should get the next chapter up in a week or so, but no guarantees. It's hard for me to keep promises once I make them, so I just don't! Anyways, thanks again, I'm glad everybody seems to like this! It's so much fun to write. Adios folks, and by the way, any suggestions, feel free to ask! Until next time, review, wish it were cooler (its 90 degrees outside! And I live in New York!), and have a good start of the summer!

6-13-05


	15. Tension

Again, I beg for forgiveness if stuff is spelled wrong. And since I added the prelude, the every five disclaimed thing got a bit screwed up. Tell me if I should keep the prelude or not ok guys? Because I'm not sure.

Either way, I think I'll just pop in a disclaimer whenever I feel like reminding nosy lawyers that (though it sucks) I don't own any of this. Except for the name Alaanis Pi. I call dibs on that. And all the other made up names I come up with. By the by, I'm going to make up a hell of a lot of the Wookie names because they're complicated and I can't remember them. So... Enjoy!

Disclaimer: OF COURSE I SELL THIS EVERYWHERE! I ALWAYS THINK I OWN STAR WARS! STAR WARS IS MINE MINE MINE! MY PRECIOUS! (Note: the previous sentences were all not true. I was being sarcastic. Star wars is indeed not mine and I don't sell my fan fictions. Don't sue me. I have like five dollars.)

**Chapter Twelve: Tension**

"So… what does everybody think?"

Alaanis Pi was standing in the center of the Ebon Hawk's common room, finally filling in everyone on the ship what happened in the council chambers. Bastila Shan was standing back in a corner of the room, already knowing all of this information, but the rest of the crew was staring at Alaanis.

T3-M4 had stopped his constant rolling about and was now sitting still next to Carth Onasi, who was sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs, looking at Alaanis like she was crazy. Mission Vao, sitting next to her Wookie pal Zaalbar, was lounging on their usual couch in the common room, looking up at Alaanis with some excitement and surprise. Canderous Ordo was giving Alaanis an amused look from his seat in the corner opposite of Bastila.

"Um…" Carth began. But Mission cut him off.

"So we're supposed to hunt down four of these Star Maps, looking all over four gigantic planets, not to mention the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk and the fact that Manaan is mostly underwater, and not get killed and then find this… thing…"

"That Star Forge," Alaanis interjected.

"Yeah that," Mission concluded. "How the heck are we going to do that?"

"I have no idea," Alaanis admitted. "Not to mention that Tatooine in covered in sand. Lots of sand." Mission fell back onto Zaalbar. Carth shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm with Mission on this," he told her.

"Well, also, before we leave we have another passenger to join us," Bastila stepped forward. Everyone gave her a look. Well, except for Alaanis who knew who this passenger was going to be. "Her name is Juhani and she's a jedi Padawan."

Carth started muttering about enough jedi on board and Canderous scowled. Missions scrunched her face up in thought. "Isn't she that Cathar that you had to fight Alaanis?"

"Um… yeah," Alaanis said.

"Isn't she 'tainted by the dark side' as the jedi put it?" Carth asked her.

"Was," Alaanis corrected.

"Cathar?" Canderous questioned.

"YES!" Alaanis half-shouted. "Don't you people listen? Geez…" Then she realized why Canderous was curious. "And if there wasn't enough tension on the ship already!" she exclaimed. The Mandalorians attacked the Cathar homeworld long before the Mandalorian Wars even began. About sixteen years ago. Hopefully Juhani had a better temper than Bastila…

Just then, the crew all turned their heads towards the exit ramp where footsteps were coming from. Coming from the ramp was Juhani. There was no noise for a moment while the Cathar's yellow eyes glanced around the room.

Juhani was wearing a red jedi Padawan robe with her lightsaber as well as a few tools attached to her belt. She was carrying a small bag which contained her few personal effects and a spare robe as well as some extra garments. She had a topknot of her scant hair on her head, which was greenish like the rest of her skin.

"Hello," Juhani said with a heavy accent, almost like a purr. Of course, Cathars were rather feline-like. Her voice held a confidence quite prominent in the young jedi. It surprised Alaanis slightly, especially after the embarrassment the young woman showed after she had been defeated by Alaanis.

"Juhani, welcome to the Ebon Hawk," Alaanis said with a grin.

"Thank you," Juhani nodded her head and smiled lightly.

"So, this is all the crew." Alaanis pointed to each member as she called out their names. "Over there is Carth, piloting this hunk of junk, T3-M4 our resident droid, Mission Vao, our Twi'lek street urchin ('Hey!') and Zaalbar, her Wookie best friend, in that corner is Bastila whom I'm pretty sure you already know, and lastly is Canderous in the opposite corner."

Alaanis thought it might've been a bad idea to announce Canderous last. Which it probably was. Juhani spotted his Mandalorian clan tattoos with ease and the two exchanged a look that was clearly a challenge from both of them.

"No bloodshed on board," Carth warned them, noticing the increasing tension.

_I wonder if anyone besides Mission and I can even stand Canderous?_ Alaanis stole a glance at Zaalbar. _Well, Zaalbar doesn't hate him either really, but Bastila, Carth and now Juhani hate him. This'll be a fun mission._

Alaanis sighed. Before anything else could happen, Mission jumped up off of Zaalbar. "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." Alaanis shot her a glance that clearly said thank you. Mission winked back at her.

Juhani followed Mission out of the room, surprised by the strength of the fifteen-year-old.

"No fighting allowed," Alaanis gave Canderous a long hard look. "There's enough shouting already when you and Bastila fight. We don't need two jedi professing their hatred towards you."

"Princess doesn't hate me, do you?" Canderous smirked at Bastila. The latter huffed and walked out of the common room, following Mission and Juhani's previous passage.

"Canderous," Alaanis warned. The Mandalorian turned towards her. She realized just then that she was the only one on board who could control the Mandalorian. "Go do something that doesn't involve harassing jedi." Canderous obeyed, heading in the opposite direction of the starboard dormitory towards the swoop garage.

Alaanis fell down onto the couch opposite the one Zaalbar was sitting on. She closed her eyes and let loose an irritated sigh. "I feel like I'm a teacher with a bunch of six-year-olds on board."

"So where to first?" Carth asked her. Alaanis opened her eyes and looked over at him.

"I don't know," she shrugged, sitting up better. "Not Manaan. And after all this irritation, visiting Manaan, the capital of the most tense places in the universe, sounds like a good place for me to kill myself." She sighed again. "How about Kashyyyk? Someplace I can breathe easier."

":Not much less tense:" Zaalbar mumbled his input. ":Czerka Corporation is collecting the Wookies to become slaves there. It's not a pretty sight. And some Wookies agree with this. I don't see why. It's demeaning.:" Zaalbar conveniently neglected to add that one of these was his brother… and that he was exiled.

"Still… it's better than the land of sand, the land of sith, or the land of law-loving Selkath," Alaanis muttered.

"I forgot about Korriban," Carth shuddered. "I don't know if I'll ever want to go there. The sith probably have found a star map if there's one there and are just adoring it's dark power like a drunk watching a Twi'lek dancer."

"That sounded just a little strange," Alaanis pointed out, stifling laughter, "but I have to agree, that's one star map that'll certainly be guarded."

"So where are we going first guys?" Mission asked, coming back into the room and plopping back down onto Zaalbar. She was closely followed by Juhani and Bastila who stood near the doorway.

"Sounds like Kashyyyk," Alaanis announced.

XxXxX

Ignoring the request of the jedi masters, Alaanis told Carth to punch in the coordinates for Kashyyyk around nine o'clock that evening. Carth came back into the common room after getting the ship out of Dantooine's atmosphere and into hyperspace.

"We should be there around seven next morning," Carth told everyone lounging around the common room as he came in, and sat down next to Alaanis on the couch Mission and Zaalbar didn't usually sit in.

Everyone was in the room except for Juhani and Canderous. Canderous apparently was working on the swoop bike and Juhani was meditating in the engine room. In the room, Bastila was replacing crystals in her lightsaber while T3 helped her by holding the crystals she was working with. Mission was playing Pazaak with Alaanis while next to her Zaalbar was sharpening his blades again.

"Ack!" Alaanis exclaimed and threw down her side deck. "I'm never going to beat you am I Mission?"

Mission was grinning madly as she collected a bunch of credits from the table. "I doubt it. Believe me, there were some damn good players on Taris, and I kicked most of their butts easily."

"I'm never going to play any version of Pazaak with you except for Republic Senate rules," Alaanis shook her head. "I'm going to go broke if I keep playing for credits with you."

"How about Nar Shadaa rules?" Carth teased as he sat down.

"I see you're eager to see me without my clothes on flyboy," Alaanis smirked flirtatiously. "Too bad it's not going to happen. The last time I played Nar Shadaa rules… well let's say I'm lucky my freighter got attacked by pirates before the game got too far…"

"I bet the pirates had a good time robbing your vessel," Carth mumbled. Alaanis jabbed him in the side with her elbow.

"Don't think I'm such a bad gunner flyboy," Alaanis told him with a glare. "I shot those pirates down before they even had a chance to board. Plus, my partner in crime and pilot of the ship was rather good at his job. Too bad he was captured last time we were on Nar Shadaa. I told him he was stupid to owe a hutt money… he had a bounty on him and some bounty hunters did a nice job of capturing him. In his sleep. Cowards."

"Ouch," Carth muttered. A few clanks and the sound of crystals shattering sounded.

"Sithspit!" Bastila cursed from over in her chair. Carth, Mission and Alaanis all glanced over at her. She blushed a bit, picking up the broken crystals T3 ad dropped. "Sorry… I bumped into T3 and he dropped my crystals… now I have none for my lightsaber!"

Alaanis dug into her bag and pulled out one of the broken lightsabers she had gotten from Sherruk. "Here, take some out of this," she offered, tossing the lightsaber over to Bastila.

"Thanks," she muttered, going back to work with her lightsaber.

Alaanis was about to say something about T3 cleaning up the broken crystals when Canderous walked in the room. He had his shirt off and was covered in a ton of oil, his chest and face was covered in it and his hair looked like it had been dyed black. Bastila stood up and immediately stepped on the broken crystals.

"Sithspit!" she exclaimed again. She fell back onto her chair and clutched her foot.

"Do any of you know where any of the rags from the cargo hold went?" Canderous asked the room at large. They all shook their heads. Then T3 beeped something.

"He says that he grabbed a bunch of them when he went to work on the hyperdrive a few days ago," Alaanis interpreted. "They might still be in the engine room." Canderous headed towards the door.

"Hey Canderous!" Mission exclaimed, staring at the Mandalorian in awe. "You're ripped man!"

The Mandalorian stared at her for a minute before shaking his head and walking out. Alaanis burst out laughing. "You are so blunt Mission," she chuckled. The teenage Twi'lek grinned. "It's my job to point such things out when no one else will, but everyone else notices," Mission commented. She stole a quick glance at Bastila before turning to Zaalbar and asking him for a game of Pazaak.

Alaanis looked over at Bastila, nursing her foot and injecting it with kolto. She wondered what Mission was implying with that look…

"Oh no…" Alaanis muttered, just realizing something else. "Canderous is heading towards the engine room isn't he?" Carth looked down at her next to him. She dropped her head onto his shoulder involuntarily. "Juhani's in there."

XxXxX

Juhani always liked meditating in a place where there was some sort of constant noise. She had visited Coruscant a few times and found herself always drawn to the Room of a Thousand Fountains in the jedi temple there. Back on Dantooine she usually meditated outside by one of the streams. And whenever she was on ships, she would meditate in the engine rooms, relaxed by the hum of the engines.

But the calmness was disturbed when none other than Canderous, the Mandalorian, walked into the room. She would have tried to ignore him if he hadn't cleared his throat with a bit of a growl, obviously trying to catch her attention.

"Yes?" the Cathar asked, turning around with a groan to face him. Her eyebrows shot up at the sight of him. "Why are you covered from head to toe in oil?" she asked none too nicely.

"Because I'm experiencing why droids love oil baths so much," he growled sarcastically. "No, I'm working on the swoop bike. And I need the rags you're sitting on." Juhani grabbed the bunch of rags she had found in the engine room out from under her and handed them to Canderous.

"Enjoy," she purred with an icy tone. She just wanted him to leave so that she could meditate in peace. She closed her eyes again, expecting him to go.

"We were surprised when your people didn't put up a better fight," Canderous commented. "Aren't your people warriors?" Juhani opened her eyes and stood up, staring at him with fury.

"They were until your kind wiped them out!" she exclaimed. She was fairly tall, but still about half a head shorter than Canderous. "We would've put up a fight if you Mandalorians hadn't fought so dirty, surprisingly us in the middle of the night, killing not just the soldiers, but the women and the children. Driving the few survivors from our homeland. And bombing us from afar. Get out Mandalorian." Not waiting for him to leave by his own will, as if he would, Juhani pushed him out with a force wave and closed the door behind him.

Fuming, the Cathar sat back down the center herself again. She remembered something her master had once said to her. "If you are confident you know your limits. Otherwise it's arrogant you are Padawan. Remember, you aren't better than anyone else. Perhaps your abilities and skills are more attuned, but all peoples are equal."

Perhaps she should stop this hatred towards the Mandalorian, even if he did cause her to leave her home, her parents' eventual death and her slavery. It would lead her back to the dark side if she continued this hatred.

XxXxX

Whether or not Juhani and Canderous were going to fight, Alaanis wanted to speak with Juhani anyways. But by the way Canderous was walking away from the closed engine room with a pile of rags in his one hand while wiping at his oil-covered face with his other hand holding another rag. And he was mumbling angrily under his breath.

Alaanis knocked on the door. There was no response, so Alaanis simply opened the door. Juhani was sitting on the ground, her legs crossed, her eyes closed, and her arms on her lap.

"He baited me, and I took the bait," Juhani explained before Alaanis could ask. Juhani opened her eyes, stood up, and turned towards Alaanis. Her height surprised Alaanis a bit. She was as tall as Carth, just a bit shorter than Canderous.

"As long as you don't let the anger at him take over you I think you'll be fine," Alaanis smiled. "Are you okay?"

Juhani nodded, her topknot bobbing with her head. "Maybe avoidance will work best," she decided.

"That sounds easier than it is," Alaanis muttered. "Bastila's been trying it since he joined the crew back on Taris."

"I had heard you were on Taris before you came here," Juhani said. "And now it is gone… and it is your fault is it not?" Alaanis could sense some contained anger radiating from Juhani.

"I didn't see many Cathars on Taris," Alaanis pointed out, a bit confused.

"There aren't many Cathars in the universe at all," Juhani fumed. "The Mandalorians wiped out a great deal of them sixteen years ago. They ravaged the Cathar homeworld. It's nothing now. Probably worse than what Taris looks like now… and worse than Telos."

"So did your family go there after your homeworld was destroyed?" Alaanis asked cautiously.

"Yes," Juhani admitted. "I was only two years of age at that point, very young. But as the Mandalorians began attacking, my family was pushed onto the first shuttle to leave. It turned out to be the only shuttle that left… at least not in pieces."

"Then you went to Taris?"

"Yes, Taris, that festering slime hole," Juhani growled. "My family was hated, and a few other Cathars that ended up on Taris, that didn't have the money to leave. A few were killed by drunks. Such a prejudiced world… my father was killed in a bar brawl. My mother died of overwork. Then I was sold into slavery."

"I'm sorry Juhani," Alaanis said quietly. "What happened then? How did you get to Dantooine?"

"Well, the jedi came," Juhani smiled. "I somehow ended up on Dxun, sold to the Mandalorians I guess. There were a lot of slaves working for the Mandalorians. Many were young." She sighed. "Then Revan led the war to Dxun, fighting the Mandalorians. She and her jedi comrades freed many of the Mandalorian slaves. When the jedi were sending us places, one jedi saw me. She said I was force sensitive. She told me I should go to Dantooine… so I did. And I became a jedi. You remind me a bit of her."

"That makes an interesting biography," Alaanis smirked. Juhani's smile faded.

"Yes, but still, I have to honest about my emotions," the Cathar decided. "I am a bit angry about the destruction of Taris."

"Well," Alaanis tried to think of something to say. "Controlling your emotions is what the jedi say is what is best. I guess I agree, but it helps if you do share them… while keeping them in control."

"You're referring to the Mandalorian," Juhani found the hidden message.

"I didn't say anything," Alaanis lied innocently as she walked out of the engine room, leaving Juhani behind to continue meditating.

Back in the common room, everybody had left. Alaanis glanced at her chrometer. It was ten o'clock. Canderous was probably working on the swoop bike some more. Mission had probably fallen asleep, and Zaalbar was most likely in the port dormitory. Carth and Bastila were unaccounted for.

Walking past the security room on her way to the cockpit, Alaanis spotted Bastila examining some old messages the ship had sent and received. _Probably going to talk to the masters while she's at it_, Alaanis thought to herself.

Unsurprisingly Carth was sitting in the pilot's seat of the cockpit with his eyes closed. Alaanis came in and placed her hands gingerly on his shoulders as a greeting. A smile formed on his face.

"The only place I really feel comfortable on a ship is in the cockpit," he admitted. He opened his eyes and looked up at Alaanis. She grinned and slid into the co-pilot's chair.

"The only place I feel comfortable on a ship is either in the gunner's chair or on the exit ramp," Alaanis said. "I'm not a big fan of flying unless it's adventurous."

"I think it's hard to avoid adventure when you're around Al," Carth commented.

Alaanis laughed. "That's true. Trouble seems to chase me to every edge of the galaxy." She stared out at the view of the stars and planets flying by at rapid speeds as the ship traveled through hyperspace.

They sat in comfortable silence for a little while "I'm tired," Alaanis finally commented. "Aren't you?" Carth shook his head. "I'm rarely tired." He observed her as she stared straight ahead. He turned his head quickly as she turned back to him.

"Well, I am," Alaanis mumbled. "Goodnight flyboy. See you bright and early on Wookie World."

"'Night," Carth mumbled as Alaanis patted his shoulder heading to leave the room. She arrived in the starboard dormitory to find Mission asleep in her bottom bunk across the way from Juhani who was sleeping on the bunk above Alaanis' Bastila's bed above Mission was still empty as Alaanis slipped into hers. She yawned and immediately fell asleep, lying her head down onto her pillow, randomly thinking of Carth's quirky grin he had thrown her when she walked into the cockpit…

XxXxX

"We are arriving on Kashyyyk in the morning Master Vandar," Bastila told his holo-image.

"Very well Padawan," the short master replied. "Contact us again after you find the Star Map."

"Yes Master…" Bastila complied.

"Is something bothering you Padawan?" Vandar asked her.

The young jedi shook her head. "Only…" Bastila began. "How will we know where the Star Maps are?" This was something that had been bothering her for a while.

"You and Revan share a force bond," Vandar reminded her. "After that first dream of the first Star Map, I imagine she will have more dreams. A dream for each Star Map. And you will share this dream."

"Do you think she will ever catch on?" Bastila questioned worriedly. "I can't simply say it was a desirable dream every time." Vandar seemed to consider this for a moment.

"I hope she does not," Vandar admitted. "Knowing such things could trigger the person she used to be. The Dark Lord she once was. Perhaps after time, after this mission… but for now, do not worry. She won't suspect."

"As you say Master," Bastila ended the transmission and headed to the starboard dormitory to get some much needed rest,

XxXxX

_The Star Map! She had found it! She had worried that she may never find that Star Map… the shadowlands were a large place, but here it was! Not even very far from the village, perhaps a few miles, but too many._

_The glowing of the Star Map ended as the memory faded away as quickly as her slumber._

XxXxX

"Did you dream it too?"

Alaanis looked over at Bastila's bed and saw the younger jedi climbing down from above Mission's sleeping body. "It felt like a memory…" Alaanis muttered. Bastila's face paled slightly.

"Dreams and memories can be easily confused," Bastila commented. Alaanis shrugged.

"It wasn't far from the village… deep in the Shadowlands… but what village?" Alaanis felt confused. Bastila grabbed her robe, put her hair back up in its usual style of a ponytail and two braids and headed out of the dormitory.

Alaanis looked down at her chrometer. It was a little after six. Throwing her jedi robe back on over her simple garments, she walked out after Bastila. Behind her Alaanis could hear Juhani waking up.

In the cockpit, Bastila was sitting in the co-pilot's chair while Carth sat in the pilot's one. "Did you sleep at all?" Alaanis greeted him. Carth waved a hand dismissively

"I slept for a couple hours," he said defensively.

"In here?" Alaanis asked.

"Mmhmm."

"Crazy." Alaanis shook her head. "I need some caffa…" She walked out of the room and back into the dormitory, rummaging through her oversized bag and finding her last mug of caffa, half empty to boot. _I'll need to refill here. The caffa from the ship itself sucks._

"Tea is much better for you, you know," Juhani pointed out as she walked into the dormitory holding a cup of said substance.

"Yeah, but does it taste better than caffa?" Alaanis said as she chugged down the bit she had left. Juhani sat down on Alaanis' bed. "That's one opinion," she shrugged.

"Have you ever tried caffa?" Alaanis gave the Cathar a look.

"No…" Juhani began but before she could continue Alaanis shoved the caffa in front of the eighteen-year old jedi Padawan.

"Have some then," Alaanis commanded. Juhani sighed. "There's no way I can object is there?" Alaanis shook her head. Juhani grabbed the mug and took a sip. She froze.

"Mmhmm…" Alaanis smiled triumphantly. "You like it don't you?" she asked.

Juhani sighed. "Yes I do." And with a sly drink she downed the rest of the mug.

"Hey!" Alaanis exclaimed. "I don't have any more!"

"We'll be landing in less than an hour, I am sure you can find some somewhere in one of the Czerka buildings," Juhani pointed out.

"Alright," Alaanis said grumpily. Juhani smirked at her and handed her the caffa mug back. "Thanks." Juhani slipped on her red jedi robe over her typical garments as she walked out of the room.

"Hey Juhani…" The Cathar turned around and looked curiously at Alaanis when a cylinder was tossed her way. Juhani caught it, mostly in part to her jedi reflexes and examined it.

"It's another lightsaber… but it takes a lot of training to use two," Juhani stuttered.

"I remember your technique when we fought," Alaanis said, grinning. Juhani blushed slightly. "I was trying to forget about that," she mumbled. Alaanis waved a hand dismissively. "You looked like two lightsabers would fit you better than one," the older woman explained. Juhani smiled and clipped the lightsaber onto her belt.

"Thanks," she said as she left the dormitory.

Alaanis gathered together her gear into her oversized green bag as Zaalbar walked into the room.

"Mission's still sleeping," Alaanis informed the Wookie. Then she looked up at him. "Hey Zaalbar… you can guide us around Kashyyyk can't you?" Zaalbar looked a bit uncomfortable suddenly.

":Er… I don't know about that Alaanis Pi:" Zaalbar mumbled.

"Why not?" Alaanis asked curiously. "Is there some sort of dark past you have?"

Zaalbar shifted uncomfortably. ":I guess I will honor my lifedebt to you by telling you of my exile from Kashyyyk.:"

"Whoa… exile?" Alaanis asked, her eyes bugging out. "Why were you exiled?"

":You see, my brother supported the slavery:" Zaalbar began. ":I found out about his support of the Czerka taking our people as slaves. I was so angry about it that… I used my claws to fight him. You see, us Wookies never use our claws to fight. We're not barbaric, even if we are interpreted that way. Our claws are tools, and using one in a fight, you become a madclaw. And that is what I am in the eyes of my people forever. A madclaw. Now my father, he was chieftain. My brother convinced him that the fight was my fault, and me being a madclaw my father believed him. And I was exiled.:"

Alaanis stared at the Wookie in the doorway. "How come you never told me Zaalbar?" a voice behind Alaanis said. Mission had woken up and the blue Twi'lek was sitting up in her bed, staring at Zaalbar.

":I'm sorry Mission. I was ashamed:" Zaalbar told his friend.

"I don't care if your brother is a big liar; you're my friend Z, my best friend." Mission smiled at Zaalbar and climbed out of her bed. Zaalbar wrapped her in a fuzzy hug. Alaanis smiled at the scene, finished putting all her stuff together, and walked out of the dormitory.

"Thanks for telling me Zaalbar," Alaanis said as she left the room. "And I hope you'll reconsider showing us around Kashyyyk. I think we'll need a good Wookie with us."

As she passed through the common room, Alaanis noticed Juhani tinkering with her new lightsaber and Bastila working on her own some more. The two jedi were also conversing a bit. T3 was rolling around the ship a bit, and Alaanis heard colorful curses coming from the swoop hangar. Obviously Canderous wasn't done working on the swoop bike.

Arriving in the cockpit, Carth was still in there, manually piloting the ship now as they exited hyperdrive. Alaanis set her hands down on his shoulders again and leaned her chin on his head.

"It's a good thing I could hear your footsteps or else we probably would've flown off course and died," Carth told her. Alaanis smirked.

"It's a good thing you're such a good pilot then," she replied. "You sure it wouldn't be because you're tired though?"

"Positive beautiful," Carth answered stubbornly.

"Really, what is up with the beautiful nickname?" Alaanis asked him, sitting back down in the co-pilot chair. Carth gave her a look.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" he asked her. "You're damn gorgeous."

"I bet you tell all the ladies that," Alaanis winked at him.

Carth rolled his eyes. Alaanis was never easy to compliment. "So what's up with the flyboy nickname while we're discussing nicknames?"

"You're a flyboy! That's what's up with it," Alaanis explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Carth shook his head. "Is there another reason why you came up here besides to tease me?"

"Yeah, actually, I was just curious about how close we were to arriving," Alaanis shrugged.

"Fairly close, we should be there in about ten minutes."

"But my main reason was to tease you," Alaanis grinned at him. Carth turned towards her and grinned back. "You sure it wasn't to flirt with me?" he asked.

Alaanis donned a fake thoughtful look. Then she mockingly shrugged. Then she just burst out laughing and left the cockpit, leaving behind a baffled Carth. "She's crazy," he muttered.

"Yes I am," Alaanis commented popping her head back in quickly before walking away.

_Women,_ Carth thought to himself.

XxXxX

As the Ebon Hawk landed on Kashyyyk, Zaalbar had a bad feeling about Alaanis' decision to stop here first. She had said she wanted to get away from the tension that was growing on the ship. The large Wookie doubted that the tension on Kashyyyk would agree with the small human.

"Okay, so… I think we'll need to talk to the Wookies rather than Czerka," Alaanis declared as the crew met in the common room for a quick meeting before departing. "So Zaalbar, I hope you can guide us."

":I shall try Alaanis Pi:" Zaalbar nodded his head in compliance.

"Good," Alaanis smiled her appreciation. "So who else wants to go to Wookie World with me?"

"I'm deep into fixing that swoop bike of Davik's, maybe we can earn some money swoop racing on the other worlds if they have swoop racing," Canderous declined. "Plus, a world full of Wookies doesn't really tempt me."

"I'll accompany you," Bastila stood up from her chair and took her completed lightsaber from T3.

"I need the droid to stick around with me then," Canderous grumbled. "He's gotta help me with my repairs on that swoop." T3 beeped his agreement.

"I'd like to check whatever's going on here out," Carth shrugged and stood up, throwing a smirk to Alaanis. "So I guess I'll come."

Before Alaanis could object, Mission jumped up. "I'm going," the Twi'lek said determinedly. "Fine," Alaanis sighed. "But the moment we're in trouble you're coming back to the ship. You can't fight with your wrist, even if it's healing."

"I'd like to accompany you Alaanis," Juhani smiled as she pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on.

"Excellent," Alaanis rubbed her hands together. "So Canderous, T3, you guys are staying behind. Carth, Bastila, Juhani, Zaalbar and Mission, you guys are coming with me."

The six stated walked out of the common room, Alaanis had her huge green bag in hand, and they stepped off the Ebon Hawk, to be greeted by an Ithorian, obviously a Czerka employee by his uniform.

":Welcome to G-2654:" the Ithorian greeted them in his native tongue. ":My name is Janis, I am the head here on G-2654 in charge of trade to and from this planet for Czerka Corporation. Do you need a Wookie interpreter:" The Ithorian named Janis looked Zaalbar up and down. ":I suppose you already have yourself a Wookie slave here. I guess you must know the language.:"

"He's not my slave," Alaanis corrected the Ithorian. Zaalbar felt a surge of anger at this Czerka representative. "He follows me because of a lifedebt."

":Ah, a difficult thing to stage but quite effective I see:" the Ithorian muttered. Zaalbar was ready to burst at that.

":Do not demean the lifedebt:" he roared.

":Please keep your slave in line or else we will have to restrain him ourselves:" Janis warned. Behind him were two other Czerka employees with tranquilizer guns ready for action. Beyond them, Alaanis could see a few Czerka mechanics and some metal boxes lying around the small dock. It seemed to be one of the only two docks in the area. The other dock was unoccupied.

"He is not my slave," Alaanis repeated. Then she glanced over to Zaalbar and spoke to him in his language, which Janis could not understand. ":I know this makes you angry and I don't blame you Zaalbar. Just hold your trigger for now, we don't want trouble.:"

_I'll show him trouble,_ Zaalbar thought to himself but agreed to stay calm out loud. Alaanis gave him a wane smile.

"Where are your facilities? Do you have a shop, because my crew needs to restock," Alaanis asked Janis. The Ithorian brightened up at the change of subject.

":Of course, of course, just follow me miss:" Janis led the party of six along a long walkway. Zaalbar knew this walkway was new… but the trees… they were familiar. This was his village. The one he had been banished from years ago.

The group split up when they approached a small building with a bunch of vendors outside. Juhani walked around, browsing a little. Bastila and Carth continued walking with Alaanis into the building to stock up and speak with Janis. Mission and Zaalbar stopped walking at the edge of a piece of the walkway.

"Something up Big Z?" Mission asked the Wookie.

":This is near my old village:" Zaalbar explained. ":The walkway may be new, but the trees are the same. It's so strange, being home again. Especially with this feeling of dread growing in my stomach. Something's not right.:"

Mission nodded her understanding. "Czerka swooped in and took over eh?" Zaalbar nodded. ":It appears so.:" The two friends stood in silence for a moment until a voice interrupted their individual musings.

"Mission? Is that you?"

Mission and Zaalbar turned around and saw a yellow Twi'lek in a Czerka uniform standing behind them.

"Leena?" Mission asked. "What are you doing here? Where's Griff?"

The Twi'lek Mission had called Leena looked a bit disgruntled. "I don't know. Probably still on Tatooine, the nerf herder."

"Hey don't talk about my brother that way!" Mission exclaimed defensively. Leena looked taken aback. Zaalbar looked between the two Twi'leks. Yeah… Kashyyyk really wasn't a place where tension dissipated.

"Mission? Why are you acting so angry?" Leena looked quite confused.

"As if you don't know," Mission spat. "You gold digging bitch! You took Griff away from me that's what! And left me on Taris with nobody but myself! Until I found Zaalbar that is. Not that I couldn't care for myself…"

Leena's eyes grew wide. "Wha-what are you talking about? Look Mission, I wanted to take you with Griff and me when we left Taris. He said you didn't want to come. I didn't believe him, but I couldn't prove him wrong. And as for me being a gold-digger, I paid for everything when I was with Griff. But it doesn't matter anymore. I broke up with him back on Tatooine. I was sick of his get rich quick schemes. They never worked."

"Liar!" Mission cried. She took a step towards Leena who was about a head taller than the blue Twi'lek. "Liar!" she repeated.

"I'm not lying Mission!" Leena told her desperately. "Ask Griff yourself. He's on Tatooine probably. He was working for Czerka, expecting to get rich off of some mining there. But I didn't believe him so I hopped a freighter off of Tatooine and ended up here on Kashyyyk."

"I still don't believe you! You have no proof. Griff was a good guy!"

"He has his heart in the right place… sometimes. But he's no angel Mission." A voice called Leena's name. "I have to get back to work. But I'm not lying. I hope you can eventually find Griff and find out the truth."

"Yeah right you cantina rat," Mission growled. Leena sighed and walked away.

":Why don't you believe her Mission:" Zaalbar asked after a minute. Mission took in a sharp breath and let it loose in the same manner before turning to Zaalbar.

Mission sighed as she opened her mouth. "I don't know. But I believe in Griff, he wouldn't do the things Leena said he did… would he?" She turned towards the towering Wookie questioningly, looking for an answer in him.

":I didn't know your brother:" Zaalbar shrugged. ":But if he's anything like you I'd doubt it.:"

Missions grinned and punched Zaalbar's arm playfully. "Thanks Z. Let's go see what's going on with Alaanis." The two walked into the small building and found Bastila collecting a pile of medical supplies and some armor. Beyond her Carth and Alaanis were standing and talking to Janis the Ithorian.

Lying around the room were shelves of supplies, like the ones Bastila was exanmining, along with doors to supply rooms and other locations. A few desks were set up with papers and computer consoles lying around where some Czerka employees were working. But the thing that mainly caught Zaalbar's eyes were two Wookies lying caged on the ground. One was unconscious, but the other was just hopelessly lying in the cage. The sight made Zaalbar wanna rip the building apart. His own kind being sold as slaves... how disgusting.

"I still don't believe in what Czerka is doing here. Can't you come to an agreement with the Wookies that doesn't involve slavery?" Alaanis was arguing with Janis. The Ithorian shook his head ignorantly.

":We have reached an agreement with the chieftain of a nearby village named Chuundar:" Janis told the jedi in front of him. ":And it does involve slavery, but so what? They're a primitive species:"

Zaalbar would've roared angrily and loudly at the Ithorian, and possibly ripped one of his arms off, if he hadn't heard Chuundar's name. Alaanis seemed to notice his uneasiness and asked him in his language what was wrong.

":That was not a name I wanted to hear:" Zaalbar said simply.

":Why:" Alaanis questioned him, head cocked to the side in curiosity.

":That's my brother:" Zaalbar answered. ":I wonder what happened to our father. If my brother turned on a second member of his family as well. I wouldn't be surprised.:"

":I'm sorry Zaalbar, we'll deal with it when we need to, don't worry I won't let your brother slander your name.:" The Wookie woofed a thanks and Alaanis nodded her head in a 'it's nothing' sort of manner.

"Anyways... could you tell us where your food supplies are?" Carth asked Janis. In response, the latter pointed to a room full of varieties of food, mostly imported long lasting flavorless food. But there was caffa to Alaanis' delight, who collected about ten jugs of the substance and paid for them.

Carth shook his head as Alaanis stuffed the caffa into her bag. "You are crazy for that stuff aren't you?" Alaanis just smiled. Quickly enough Bastila and Juhani had met up with the rest of the crew off the ship. They were all standing around Janis.

"Do you know if we could speak with this Chuundar?" Alaanis asked the Ithorian.

":It is not my duty to allow or decline visits to the cheiftain:" he replied. ":But if you go along the walkway Czerka built to his village, I am sure the Wookie guards will answer your question.:"

"Thank you," Alaanis smirked. Zaalbar saw out of the corner of his eye a shelf being knocked over, bringing with it bundles of grenades and eplosives. Only one exploded though, and it was only a concussion grenade.

"Whoops," Alaanis said absent-mindedly. "That doesn't look good." A good deal of the Czerka employees had run over to fix the stand just before the grenade exploded and the rest had run out of the room. Janis was among the unconscious.

"You did that?" Bastila exclaimed. "Why would you do such a frivolous thing! You demean the force with your uses of it! Such things will lead you to the dark side Alaanis!"

"Bastila, relax, I had a reason," Alaanis tried to calm Bastila down. It didn't work well though. Bastila continued ranting for about ten minutes before Zaalbar roared loud enough to shut her up. ":Let's hear what Alaanis Pi has to say for herself:" Zaalbar growled. A little afraid of the Wookie, Bastila complied.

"I did it so that I could free this Wookie over here without them noticing," Alaanis explained, walking over to the caged and hopeless Wookie Zaalbar had noticed when he walked in.

":Do not worry, I am going to free you:" Alaanis told the Wookie as she opened the cage with the force. The Wookie seemed to understand and thanked Alaanis.

":I won't be able to get out of here without being captured:" the Wookie protested. The crew all exchanged glances.

"I have an idea!" Mission exclaimed. "I can dress up in a Czerka uniform and bind his hands so that it looks like I captured him, but I really am just going to bring him back to the village."

"That sounds great Mission!" Alaanis declared after a moment of thought. "But I don't want you going alone. Bring Zaalbar too." Alaanis explained the plan to the newly freed Wookie and he grunted his approval. Alaanis found some spare cuffs and cuffed the two Wookies while Mission found a Czerka uniform in a vacant supply room.

"Perfect," Alaanis said, examining the trio. Mission smiled and gave a thumbs up as she walked out of the room.

"We will be suspected," Juhani pointed out. "The Czerka will expect us to have pulled the stunt. It won't be good for our mission."

"That's why we're going to pretend we were hit by the concussion grenade as well," Bastila said, following what Alaanis was thinking. Alaanis gave her a look.

_Did you just read my mind?_ Alaanis asked through the force bond the two women shared.

_No, I just felt your plan through this bond,_ Bastila replied simply.

Alaanis shrugged and she, Carth, Juhani and Bastila all fell down onto the ground.

XxXxX

":How lucky is it that it was only a concussion grenade and not the plasma ones:" Janis the Ithorian muttered as he awoke from the effects of the concussion grenade that had exploded. He surveyed the area around him, spotting the troublesome jedi and her friends. Well... all but her Wookie slave. They were rubbing their heads and beginning to sit up. Janis' fellow Czerka employees were doing the same.

":Where is your Wookie friend:" Janis asked the jedi. She looked around, surprised to not see her Wookie companion anywhere.

"He probably avoided the blast," the Twi'lek accompanying the jedi shrugged. "He's probably back at our ship." Janis observed the situation a bit more. One of the cages was missing a Wookie!

":What happened to the Wookie slave in that cage:" Janis asked one of the awake Czerka employees who was walking into the building.

"I saw a Wookie leaving this vicinity about twenty minutes ago," the employee explained. "I believe the one guiding the Wookie had been given permission to ship the slave to the encampment until the freighter to pick it up arrived."

":Hm:" Janis thought to himself. ":Alright then.:"

XxXxX

"What really happened to Zaalbar Mission?" Alaanis asked the blue Twi'lek as they walked along a walkway towards what was called "The Great Walkway" leading them to the nearest Wookie village.

"When we arrived at the village, the Wookie guards recognized Zaalbar," Mission explained a bit nervously. "They called him a madclaw and told him to stay at the village and visit the chieftain."

Alaanis sighed. "We're going to have to go find him then," she decided. "Mission, just in case anything goes wrong, I think you should go back to the Ebon Hawk now. We can't have too many of us along and with your wrist... it's not really smart to bring you along. I just don't want you to get hurt." Mission was obviously pouting but agreed with Alaanis and headed back to the Ebon Hawk.

Juhani and Bastila walked a bit ahead of Carth and Alaanis, the pair of younger jedi talking about something. It seemed that Bastila wasn't only lecturing Alaanis about the darkside. And it seemed like Alaanis wasn't the ony one who argued back consistently as well.

The quiet between Carth and Alaanis was a bit unsettling. It seemed like they both wanted to say something, but neither did. Alaanis pulled out one of her many jugs of caffa and took a sip as they walked.

The four of them were stopped at the edge of the walkway which led to "The Great Walkway". A Czerka employee warned them that the kinrath infested the walkway, and the Wookies didn't really stop them from attacking the Czerka employees.

"Carth, I hate to say this, but I don't know if you should accompany us," Bastila said as he Czerka opened the gate. "You don't understand the language, and could easily anger the Wookies with that ignorance. It's already really tense here between Czerka and the Wookies. Perhaps you should stay behind."

"Fine," Carth grumbled. Alaanis felt a bit bad leaving him out, but Bastila was right. It would be a burden interpreting everything for Carth. Juhani, Bastila and Alaanis knew languages quite well. They all understood the Wookie language.

But Alaanis couldn't stop the pit of dread lying in her stomach as they three jedi walked past the gate and onto the walkway, with Carth headed the other way.

XxXxX

The Czerka guard had been right. The kinrath spiders were everywhere, and the four jedi made good use of their lightsabers. Alaanis now had the violet one she had found on Sherruk and was making good use of it in syncopation with her yellow one. Bastila's double-bladed saber was flashing every which way as she fought off the dozens of kinrath, and Juhani's two blue sabers showed off her technique with the blade.

"What did I say? You were made for two of those things," Alaanis smirked as Juhani flourished her sabers, finishing off the last kinrath in the attack. Juhani grinned back.

The walkway was long and complex. Often the three women found themselves at dead ends, turning around. The good news of this all was that there were many supplies lying around from people failing to fight back the kinrath. Many of the supplies were useful.

The bad news was that at one of these dead ends, they encountered three dark jedi.

"Oh no..." Bastila muttered. "Malak must know where we are!"

"Lord Malak was most displeased when you escaped Taris," the leader of the three, a female in dark grey robes with a blask mask over her face informed them. "I will certainly have the joy of defeating you three." She pulled out two short red lightsabers, and met them together, making a clashing sound as a challenge. Her two companions pulled out single silver lightsabers.

Juhani, Alaanis and Bastila acknowledged the challenge and ignited their own. "You defeat us? I think you have your two parties confused," Alaanis threatened. The leader charged at her, yelling as their blades met.

The battle commenced as the other dark jedi, both male unlike their female leader, rushed at Bastila and Juhani. Bastila fell into a dance with the jedi she was facing, easily blocking her opponent's aggressive tactics. It wasn't very hard to block him, and quickly she was able to be on the offensive before he even threatened her much. It didn't take long for her to slash him with her lightsaber, delivering the death blow.

Fiercely, Juhani's blue blades swung again and again a she leaped this way and that, avodiing the wild swings her opponent was now making to try and attack her in the air. Sustaining a small cut at her ankle, Juhani finally landed cat-like on the platform and stuck the dark jedi she was facing with her right handed saber.

Alaanis had a tougher time, for her opponent was not the leader of the three for nothing. Plus the two shorter blades were different than the long ones Alaanis had been used to. But quickly enough, Alaanis found herself using an old technique she had learned back at the enclave, and remembered sparring against Bastila in this manner. It was a gentle tactic, used for disarming one's opponent instead of killing them. But when Alaanis got her blade next to the dark jedi's neck, a foreign aggression captured her and her saber struck through the dark jedi's neck quickly and easily, like a knife cutting air.

The three women were panting slightly as they put away their sabers. Alaanis looted the corpses and then the three exchanged looks.

"How would Malak know where we are?" Juhani mused. Bastila looked worried.

"If he is in possession of this Star Forge," Bastila thought aloud, "Whatever it is, he probably has knowledge of where the Star Maps are. He did appear in our dream of the Star Map on Dantooine. He probably has his agents on all four worlds, waiting for us to appear."

"That sounds welcoming," Alaanis said sarcastically. "We better keep moving. I hope there are no more welcoming parties waiting for us." The other two jedi silently agreed and they continued their long walk to the village.

XxXxX

":Are you saying you hold the madclaw forcibly? That he is your slave:"

Alaanis, Bastila and Juhani were standing in front of the gates leading to the village in which Zaalbar was being held. Alaanis couldn't for the sake of her remember the name of the village. It had a much too complicated name anyways.

"No," Alaanis answered frustrated. "Zaalbar swore a lifedebt to me. May we please at least speak with Chuundar?" The Wookie guard seemed to consider this before growling an affirmative.

The gate opened before the three female jedi and another Wookie stood in front of them. ":I will bring you to the chieftain's hut:" the Wookie declared. ":Follow me, and don't wander. Our kind is not very welcoming of yours.:"

The village was bustling with Wookies. Many tall, hairy figures were found walking, conversing, constructing, and some smaller Wookies seemed to be playing, though the difference in age was barely noticeable as the younger Wookies were not much shorter than the older ones. Many of them gave the strange outsiders menacing or curious looks. A few pointed and whispered.

Soon enough, the three women were being guided into the chieftain's hut.

Inside the hut there were a few small rooms off of the main one, but the main room was the only one the three jedi were allowed in. In the center of the room in a large luxurious chair, obviously not made from Kashyyyk's own resources sat who must have been Chuundar, a large Wookie much like Zaalbar, only with slightly paler fur. He was wearing a necklace made of Kinrath claws. Around him stood two Wookie guards as well as two Czerka guards. And being held and cuffed by a third Wookie guard was Zaalbar himself.

"Zaalbar!" Alaanis exclaimed upon sight of him. "Are you alright?"

":Do I look alright:" Zaalbar muttered, giving Alaanis a look as he held up his cuffed paws.

":Silence:" Alaanis turned her attention to Chuundar, who was standing now. ":Why do you disturb me outsider:" Chuundar asked Alaanis.

"You have Zaalbar," Alaanis explained. "He's a friend of mine. And he swore a lifedebt to me. If you continue to hold him, then he is not fulfilling his lifedebt." She gave Chuundar a slightly cold look.

":Is this true madclaw:" Chuundar walked towards Zaalbar. ":You are in debt to this human woman here:" Before waiting for a supply, Chuundar swiped Zaalbar with his paw, claws not included, and Zaalbar growled. ":You are a shame onto my family and a plague onto my village:"

":No that's you:" Zaalbar roared. ":You are the one selling our kind to Czerka! You are the one demeaning our way of life. Look who flanks you. Czerka:"

Chuundar's eyes narrowed at his brother and then he turned away, walking back towards his chair in the center of the room. ":Nobody believes a madclaw brother:" Chuundar said. ":Nobody would join your cause even if they did believe you. Czerka gives us weapons and gives me power, and they get slaves. I did what I had to do. Survival of the fittest.:"

":Survival of the corrupt:" Zaalbar spat. The Czerka and Wookie guards aimed their guns but Chuundar called them off.

":I have a deal for you outsider:" Chuundar declared after a moment of silence. ":Do me a favor, and I will let you have this madclaw back. As long as you leave.:"

Alaanis' eyes were narrow. Juhani began muttering in her own language about slavery. She understood Juhani's anger. She felt it too. "Name it," Alaanis said tersely.

":Another Wookie had fell to the same fate as my dear brother here:" Chuundar told her, putting an unnecessary disgusted emphasis on the word 'brother'. ":He has been sent into exile in the shadowlands, being driven mad and using his claws in a battle. I want you to dispose of him for me. Then, when you return, I will give you Zaalbar and you can be on your way.:"

Alaanis didn't want to do this, but how else would she get Zaalbar back. She nodded her head and Chuundar clapped his paws together in merriment. ":Sounds good. I will have a guide bring you to the basket to bring you down to the shadowlands. Hurt any other Wookie besides the one you were instructed to kill and believe me, you will be sorry. Growwleyr will be along shortly. Meet him outside of my hut. He understands your language. I tell all of the Wookies that is is smarter to learn the language of the enemy. Actually, it makes them easier to control. Do not wander. We aren't very fond of your kind.:"

Juhani and Bastila walked outside. Alaanis followed at a slower pace, whispering to Zaalbar as she passed. "Just play along for now." And with that, she exited the hut, fuming at Chuundar's corrupt power.

XxXxX

GEEZ! That's one LONG chapter! Twenty two pages! A new record! Heh… anyways… I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. XD I was going to name it "Wookie World" but then I decided… um… that was completely against the mood I was setting. The atmosphere is very tense here, obviously. Wookie World is like an amusement park (in fact it is one in Yet Another KOTOR Parody by Helena L heh) so I didn't want to rip off any future plans for amusement park constructors.

Anyways… I threw in that prelude, so I hope you guys liked it! It was rather random, I just felt like adding it in. Some quick back story. So… thanks for the reviews! They were loverly. So thanks to _Lunatic Pandora1_ (don't worry I'll add in plenty of HK humor), _Rachil Fayrchild_ and _resident roach code metallica_.

By the way, kudos to you resident roach code metallica! Yep, Sienna's the exile. And as for the name situation, I played first in ktoor 2 as Sara, the second time as Alaanis Nalquin (where the name for this fic originated, I never played the first game with the name Alaanis) and the third time, I have started this game, not yet finished (I don't own the game, I rent it) as Sienna Vaas. Dark side. But I'm a light side person, so yeah. Ironic we used the same name no?

Additional note: I keep writing random scenes for Destiny II. Heh, I wrote one last night involving the farewells between Carth and Revan and Sienna and Atton (I hate the Disciple, I really do). They were amusing. I'm going to suck at writing Atton. Anyways… I already have part of the first chapter and the introduction finished, and I wrote a bit of the last chapter of this fic up as well as part of the revelation and after the revelation, so I really write random parts a lot don't I? Okay. I'm done.

So until next chapter, review plenty more (because I love reviews, and I get a bunch of them here! You reviewers rock!) and have a good summer! W00t! Oh and it finall cooled down a bit here. Heck, I've been wearing pants instead of shorts for the past like three days. Joy for not-too-hot-ness! Well, I'm off to go watch Lord of the Rings (because I want to) so bye! REVIEW!

6-18-05


	16. The Shadowlands

_Chapter Edited on June 22, 2005! Well, actually I edited it about fourteen hours after I posted it. Thanks to Kitome-chan for pointing out the dewback katarn thing… I think I caught them all…_

'Nother Disclaimer: Must I spell it out? I-D-O-N-O-T-O-W-N-S-T-A-R-W-A-R-S-O-R-K-N-I-G-H-T-S-O-F-T-H-E-O-L-D-R-E-P-U-B-L-I-C-O-R-M-O-S-T-O-F-T-H-E-S-E-C-H-A-R-A-C-T-E-R-S! That's a lot of spelling! Heh… anyways, I don't own this, I don't sell this, it's not mine, yadda yadda yadda… get lost you pesky lawyers, this is for fun. You lawyers wouldn't know fun if it sued you…

Now that was a dumb joke. Lol.

XxXxX

**Chapter Thirteen: The Shadowlands**

Jedi Padawan Alaanis Pi didn't expect the trip from the Wookie village (with a name she could never remember) down to the shadowlands to take very long. On the contrary, it took two days.

Apparently, too much noise, or moving too quickly could result in drawing unwanted predators. So the journey in the oversized basket with the Wookie guide, Growwleyr, and Alaanis' companions Padawans Bastila Shan and Juhani, the oldest of the three jedi stayed practically silent. Bastila meditated most of the time. Juhani observed the trees around her, miles tall. Alaanis found herself musing, wondering if the others were expecting them back already.

Carth would probably be pacing, worrying himself senseless, Alaanis smirked. Canderous and Mission would probably be teasing him for his worry. But Mission might be worrying about Zaalbar while she teased. Alaanis herself hoped that the big Wookie was fine in his brother's hands.

The jedi still couldn't stand the corruptness of Chuundar. How could his people follow him? His ideals were twisted, and his morals bent so much they would break any moment.

":We're here:" growled Growwleyr. Alaanis snapped out of her thoughts, and the three jedi women all stood up. As far as the eye could see were the roots of trees. Though, it was difficult to see very far with the lack of sunlight. Rustlings of low leaves and the grass were echoing, obviously made by the creatures that lived in the shadowlands. It was an eerie place.

But the thing that caught the three jedi's eyes was the short man and two Wookies in front of them, aiming their bowcasters. Growwleyr quickly kicked the jedi out of the basket.

":I will be back in a week:" the Wookie told them before beginning the ascent to the village.

"Hello," the short man, also known as Calo Nord grinned. "Fancy seeing you here." Alaanis narrowed her eyes. The three women all laid their hands loosely over their lightsabers.

"Yes… quite a surprise considering you were on Taris," Alaanis raised an eyebrow.

"You should know that I am hard to kill," Calo growled. "I had my ways. In fact, now I plan on capturing you three and bringing you to Malak. Of course, the Cathar he'll probably just sell into slavery, but you two interest him."

Juhani sneered at the mention of slavery. "You will die before you get the chance!" she threatened.

"So we have to do this the hard way eh?" Calo sighed. "Okay boys; make good use of those bowcasters." The two Wookies stepped in front of Calo and aimed their bowcasters.

Before the Wookies could even aim their weapons, Bastila and Juhani cut the bowcasters in half with their lightsaber and then held them menacingly at the throats of the Wookies… who made the mistake of trying to fight back. Their heads were dislocated from their bodies shortly.

"You want to be next?" Juhani asked Calo furiously. Before Juhani could even begin her blow, Calo short her with his blasters. It wasn't fatal, but it did hit her hard in her right leg.

"Apparently so," Juhani growled as she took her lightsabers in hand and easily gutted Calo with them before collapsing onto her leg.

"Juhani!" Bastila shrieked as she ran forward, Alaanis right behind her. Juhani rolled over onto her unimpaired leg and smirked up at Bastila. "I'm fine," she muttered.

"How are we going to be able to live down here for a week with your leg?" Bastila moaned. "I mean, if we had the proper supplies perhaps we could fix you up… but we only have a limited supply of medpacs and kolto and the like."

"Bastila, stop panicking," Alaanis coughed. "I think we can survive. With the help of the force, Juhani'll be fine." The oldest of the three held out her hand for Juhani who took it easily. "Just lean on me," Alaanis told her. Juhani complied and she hobbled along for a little ways.

"Where exactly are we going?" the Cathar asked after five minutes.

"Somewhere we can make camp," Alaanis answered. After another ten minutes the three arrived in a clearing and agreed it would make a fine camp for the night.

After setting down Alaanis gigantic bag and pulling out a tent she had been found on the Ebon Hawk, she and Bastila set it up badly. It would work though. Juhani started a fire and before long the jedi were sitting on a log in front of the fire, eating some synthesized crap food from the Czerka market.

"Do you think that the Star Map is in this part of the shadowlands?" Juhani said, breaking the silence.

Alaanis gave her a look. "Bastila told me about the dream you two shared," the Cathar explained. A look of realization broke over Alaanis' face.

"It does seem a bit familiar," Alaanis shrugged. She looked around a little.

"I think it's in this area," Bastila declared. "I don't know exactly why, but the force seems to be guiding us to the Star Maps, and well, we were sent down here. I think it just might be in this area."

Alaanis nodded her head in consideration. Then she yawned. "I'm going to sleep," she mumbled as she crawled into the tent. Juhani and Bastila followed shortly, Juhani still limping.

But it wasn't long into the night and the slumber of the girls when Alaanis suddenly was awoken by something. Paranoid, she pulled her robes back on over her clothes she had been sleeping in and strapped on her belt. She walked out of the tent for perhaps some calmness. Avoiding stepping on Bastila and Juhani, she felt the coolness of the increased wetness on the forest floor underneath her thin shoes.

Relaxing slightly, Alaanis was about to go back into the tent… before she was overwhelmed with a feeling of danger. A rustle in the distance, but not a very far distance, was caught by Alaanis' force-sensitive ears. Quickly enough, Bastila popped her head out of the tent.

"You felt it too?" Alaanis asked the younger jedi. The latter nodded her head and stepped out. Bastila hadn't put on her robe or belt, and was just wearing some plain white clothes, her lightsaber in hand. Juhani was right behind her, leg bandaged slightly and wearing her red robes and deeper red belt, lightsabers also in hand.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Just then, out of the shadows leapt a large creature, obviously native to the shadowlands. A katarn… followed by five more of its own kind. Quickly enough, the three women ignited their lightsabers and fought back their attackers.

Alaanis was knocked down by the leader of the six but quickly began swiping at the offending katarn with her violet lightsaber while fending off a rock that was kicked at her from a rampaging katarn with her yellow saber. Bastila's reflexes were better in this situation, blocked the katarn attacking her before it even had a chance to do anything to her. Quickly enough, she hacked at it twice, chopping its head off, and facing a second one, stabbing it repeatedly while twirling her double-bladed saber. Juhani was having the worst luck. After stabbing into her first victim with her right saber, the katarn jerked forward, knocking the Cathar back onto her injured right leg with a light scream. The katarn advanced at Juhani, ready to trample her. Alaanis finished off the katarn she was facing as well as the one right behind her, leaving two left. The one attacking Juhani and the last one Bastila was right next to.

"Juhani!" Alaanis screeched as the katarn ran towards the Cathar. Juhani struggled to stand up, but she wouldn't be quick enough. Alaanis began running towards the pair, but before she was even close enough to attack a green lightsaber came out of nowhere to strike into the side of the katarn rushing towards Juhani.

The katarn was knocked off course, and Alaanis didn't pay any attention while Bastila decapitated the katarn next to her, but instead focused her attention on the man catching his green lightsaber as it flew back to him and leapt into the air, falling down onto the katarn, his lightsaber in hand.

The man was riding the katarn! Wildly, the man was tossed side to side, but he stayed on, and stabbed the katarn in his back, jumping off quickly as the katarn fell onto its side, roaring angrily. Before it could regain its strength, the man stabbed the katarn again, fatally this time.

All that was heard for a few moments was the panting of Bastila, Alaanis, Juhani and the strange man and the snap-hiss as they put their lightsabers away.

"Thank you," Juhani finally said, struggling to stand up, but managing it this time. She stood awkwardly, as if a gust of wind would knock her down easily.

Alaanis observed the man that had saved Juhani's life more closely. He was obviously quite old, probably in his sixties, and had deep brown skin, with wrinkles lining his face. He had grayish brown eyes, sorrowful it seemed. He was of average height, just a bit taller than Juhani, and was wearing plain brown clothing with green trim. It looked much like the forest around them.

"Might want to watch out for those katarns a bit better," the old man grumbled. "But it was nothing. Can't just leave you to die can I? I'm Jolee, Jolee Bindo." The man known as Jolee held out a hand. Juhani shook it.

"I am Juhani," she told him. Then she pointed to Bastila and Alaanis. "These are my companions Bastila Shan and Alaanis Pi." Jolee examined both of them, giving Alaanis a bit more of a look, a bit confused of a look.

"If you need a place to stay," Jolee told the women. "You are more than welcome to stay in my home. It's not much, but less prone to katarn attacks than this clearing. They usually gather here."

"Thank you, we'd appreciate that very much," Bastila said smiling.

"Sounds like you've been here for some time," Alaanis pointed out as they gathered their supplies. Bastila put on her robes over her clothing with her belt, clipping her lightsaber onto it.

"Twenty years in this place," Jolee told her. Alaanis whistled.

"That's some time," she replied. Jolee just shrugged. After a few minutes, they had pulled together their supplies and Alaanis had her gigantic hunter green bag back on her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, well I could've crashed worse places I suppose," Jolee muttered.

Alaanis cocked an eyebrow. "You crashed here?"

Jolee snorted. "You think I'd stay here by choice? It's not bad helping out the Wookies, scaring off Czerka when I have to, and plus staying in the shadowlands will keep an old man strong, all the running around and warding off the resident creatures. The Wookies don't mind me much anymore, so it's not the worst."

They walked in silence for a few minutes before arriving at what looked like an enormous log. In actuality it was Jolee's home. "Lovely," Alaanis muttered. Jolee gave her a look.

"You whippersnappers always are thinking that old-fashioned things are always horrible!" Jolee exclaimed. Alaanis almost laughed outright at hearing the word 'whippersnapper'. "This is a fine home, and it's suited me well for twenty years. I think you can deal with it for a night or two!"

"Sorry Jolee," Alaanis apologized, still smirking. Jolee shook his head and began mumbling to himself about young hooligans.

Jolee's home really wasn't that bad. It had a small kitchen, makeshift of course with a fire stove and a bunch of baskets holding foods obviously found places in the shadowlands. Also in there was a small table with a chair to eat at. Connected with the kitchen, the same room really, was the rest of the house. A roaring fire with a homemade rug in front of it. A few chairs sat around the fireplace along the edge of the rug, with a couch in the center. They were all made from the hides of animals.

"The Wookies helped me make those," Jolee explained. "As well as my bed over in that corner." He pointed his left hand to one corner where a bed sat. In the opposite corner was a shelf full of things that were probably from before Jolee's migration to the shadowlands. A few parts and what seemed to be lightsaber crystals and some clothes, including some worn and tatty jedi robes.

"Are you a jedi Jolee?" Alaanis asked curiously.

"Not anymore," Jolee muttered. Juhani and Bastila walked over to the chairs and sat down in them, relaxing by the fire.

Alaanis gave Jolee a confused look and he grumbled, "Fine, I'll give you an explanation I guess. I don't know if you deserve it really, but might as well get your curiously indulged sooner rather than later.

"You've heard of the war with Exar Kun right?" Alaanis nodded. "Well, I was a newly made Padawan a few years before that. I was a smuggler for some time, running around places, smuggling this and that, and I met my wife once when she caught me smuggling. Ah… she was an amazing woman…"

"She was already your wife when you first met her?" Alaanis snickered.

Jolee gave her a pointed look. "The woman who would eventually be my wife," he corrected grumpily. "Anyways… I found out that she was force-sensitive. I asked the council if they would train her, but they said she was too old. So I trained her on my own, in secret. We also married secretly. But when Exar Kun decided to break off from the jedi, she wanted to join the cause. It was a time when it wasn't surprising to see Padawans turn against their masters. It was happening all over the galaxy. So one day, during training, she angrily fought me with aggression, pulling from what the jedi call the 'dark side'."

"What happened?" Alaanis asked him. "Did you kill her?"

Jolee shook his head. "No. Love blinded me, and I let her go when I had her at my mercy. She went to kill many jedi during the war and eventually died in a later battle." He shook his head again sadly. "When I went back to the jedi, I expected them to expel me. I deserved to be expelled."

"Did they?" Alaanis questioned. The story was actually pretty interesting.

"No," Jolee said angrily. "They forgave me! And wanted to promote me!" Alaanis was confused as to why this annoyed him. "I defied them, I trained a future dark jedi, not to mention married her, and they promoted me! That was when the jedi turned their back on me, so I in turn walked away from them."

"And you crash landed here?"

"Yep." Jolee's eyes that were dark towards the end of his story, lightened a bit. "I think we should all get some sleep now." Juhani had already fallen asleep again against the chair she was sitting on. Alaanis plopped down on the couch and fell asleep quickly.

XxXxX

"I take it she has no idea who she really is."

Bastila was startled by the old man Jolee's statement. "What?" she asked him, sitting up in the chair she was scrunched in.

"I knew Revan," Jolee told her. "I saw her and Malak four years ago when they came down here for that Star Map. Hell, I talked to her! And I could remember her. Even with dyed hair and ocular color changes, I can recognize her."

Bastila sighed. "There's no way I can tell you I had no idea is there?" Jolee shook his head.

"Her memory was crippled when she was betrayed by Malak only about half a year ago," Bastila explained. "But we needed to find the Star Forge, so we gave her a new identity and now she's helping us."

"She's going to find out sooner or later," Jolee informed the young jedi. "It's inevitable. Especially with the mission you're on."

"Now tell me how you knew the mission we were on?" Bastila asked him skeptically. Jolee laughed.

"You whippersnappers are so paranoid," he chuckled. "It was apparent. You basically just told me. I was making an easy-to-see observation. Don't think I'm breaking into your pretty little head."

The chestnut-haired jedi fumbled with her hands. "I really don't know what to do. The masters just dumped a former sith lord onto my lap and told me to find the Star Forge!"

"Well they're not exactly bright," Jolee muttered.

Bastila gave him a look. "Just because they make mistakes doesn't make them stupid or unwise. They are great men and women!"

"You keep your opinion and I'll have mine," Jolee said fairly. "Does the Cathar… Juhani know?"

She shook her head. "Nobody else but me knows," Bastila responded.

"There are more of you?"

"An astromech droid T3-M4, our pilot Carth Onasi, the Mandalorian Canderous of Ordo, Mission Vao, a fifteen year old Twi'lek, and a Wookie named Zaalbar," Bastila told him.

"That's a strange bunch," Jolee interjected.

"Revan was always a leader, with troops strange and ordinary," Bastila shrugged. "Alaanis is a lot like Revan. The only differences I see are that Alaanis is more dedicated, especially to the light side. Perhaps her past, though she doesn't know it, is driving her to a different path."

"Perhaps," Jolee agreed. He yawned. "But I'm an old man and I need my sleep. And you, as young as you are, need yours."

XxXxX

"Geez Carth you're worse than Alaanis!"

Back on the Ebon Hawk, Canderous was doing as he had planned and working consistently on the swoop bike, this time with fewer interruptions considering only T3, Mission and Carth were on the ship besides him. Carth was bored, and worried. So he spent his time playing Pazaak, Republic Senate rules of course, against Mission, not winning a single game.

Carth had been worrying about Alaanis since he had arrived back at the ship two and a half days ago. He wondered if she'd be back anytime soon. Or if she was even alive.

"You don't think anything has happened to them do you?" Carth asked the Twi'lek for the thousandth time. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if they were killed or captured.

"Carth, you have to relax," Mission set down her cards and sighed. "I went to the Wookie village yesterday, even though I really wasn't welcome. Zaalbar knew who I was, even though he's kinda being held captive, the chieftain also known as his brother Chuundar told me that they should be back in about a week and a half. So if they're not back in two weeks, then you can worry."

Carth sighed again. He threw down his cards and said he was going to get some sleep. Instead of heading towards the port dormitory though, Carth walked up to the cockpit. Mission was left behind, left with her own worries about Zaalbar.

Their thoughts were more identical than they thought. Both were thinking about how they'd feel if something happened to Zaalbar in Mission's case and Alaanis in Carth's.

_If anything happens to Big Z, I don't know what I'll do; it'll be like the destruction of Taris all over again!_ Mission thought.

_If Alaanis gets hurt in any way, I know I'll blame myself,_ Carth was thinking. _If she dies it'll be like losing Morgana again… I guess I care about her that much don't I?_

And Carth indeed did fall asleep in the cockpit, still worrying about Alaanis, while Mission fell asleep on the couch she usually shared with Zaalbar, worrying about the big Wookie.

Canderous was avoiding thinking about the four missing fellow crew members as he continued working on the swoop bike. T3 was helping him, handing him tools as the Mandalorian ducked his head into the front of the swoop, modifying the engine.

"Can you get something in there for me T3?" Canderous asked the droid. T3 beeped an affirmative and complied with Canderous' request.

"Beep boop dee doo?" T3 asked the Mandalorian who was covered in oil as usual these days.

"No I don't know anything about the jedi or the Wookie," Canderous grumbled as T3 backed away from the swoop and handed Canderous the hydrospanner. "And it doesn't matter to me really, as long as they're alive and finishing up whatever they're doing."

T3 gave forth a series of aggressive beeps.

"Saying I don't care?" Canderous let loose a chuckle. "I don't." T3 beeped again and Canderous hit his head on the spot he was working with and growled. "I should scrap you for that remark! Stupid droid… obviously you need new sensors if you're thinking bantha crap like that!"

T3 beeped innocently as if he didn't say anything about Bastila to Canderous and the Mandalorian got back to work. Just then an oil pipe burst and spat oil all over the little astromech droid. "Serves you right," Canderous mumbled, grabbing a rag and wiping T3 with it.

Muttering under his breath about stupid droids, Canderous got back to his work, just a bit more distracted than before. _Like that droid knows anything about sentients,_ he thought to himself. _Much less when two actually care for each other._

But in T3 opinion not only was Mission worrying for Zaalbar and Carth worrying for Alaanis, but Canderous for Bastila… as much as the Mandalorian objected and shielded. And threw tools at the little droid.

XxXxX

"So how long are you down here for?" Jolee asked as the three female jedi sharing his home ate their breakfast. Sitting around the fire in Jolee's hut, they each were nursing fresh fruits.

"A week I suppose," Alaanis answered. Juhani and Bastila were sitting on the couch while Alaanis sat in a chair to the one side. Jolee was leaning onto another chair.

"And why did the Wookies send you down here… unless, you know they don't like you so much they just sent you down to your deaths down here or something?" the old man questioned the other jedi, standing up to poke at the fire in the fireplace some more.

"Well, actually we were traveling with our Wookie friend Zaalbar and his brother Chuundar, the chieftain, decided to take him captive," Alaanis explained. "So we have to come down here and kill another Wookie to set Zaalbar free."

"Zaalbar and Chuundar you say?" Jolee mused.

"Mmhmm," Alaanis nodded. She finished up the piece of fruit she was eating and wiped her hands on her robes.

"Do you know which Wookie you're supposed to kill?" Jolee asked her with a raise eyebrow. Alaanis shook her head. "Well… I'm not sure either… but there is a Wookie down here."

"Is it a crazed madclaw?" Alaanis looked at Jolee who stood up straighter and shook his head with a light chuckle.

"Freyyr is not a madclaw, perhaps crazed with grief though," Jolee told her. "He's Chuundar and Zaalbar's father. The former chieftain." Alaanis' eyes widened.

"He wants me to kill his father!" Alaanis exclaimed.

"Appears so," Juhani shrugged as she joined in the conversation. Alaanis let loose a stream of colorful curses that Bastila cringed at. It was quiet for a few moments in the hut until Jolee cleared his throat and the three female jedi looked at him.

"Now you kids have to do me a favor if you want my help," Jolee declared.

Alaanis raised an eyebrow. "You're offering to bring us to this Freyyr? We can't kill him!"

"I'm not saying you have to kill him," Jolee grumbled. "Perhaps talk with him. And Bastila over there said that you were searching for a Star Map. I think I may know where it is. But I'm not offering my help freely. You've got to do me a favor."

Alaanis cocked an eyebrow. Juhani looked at the old man interestedly but Bastila was the one who spoke. "What would you like us to do?"

"I don't like Czerka, simple as that," Jolee started. "Usually they stick to the surface, though lately they've been sending some teams research teams down here to the shadowlands. There's a team nearby, and I want them gone. They're disturbing me."

Alaanis sighed. "How are we supposed to do that?"

"I don't know, or else I would've gotten rid of them myself, but they're sick of my complaints," Jolee replied. He gave Alaanis a look. "Just don't kill them if at all possible."

"Aw and we were going to do just that?" Alaanis objected sarcastically. Bastila gave her an annoyed look.

"Geez Bastila, learn sarcasm," Alaanis rolled her eyes. Jolee was hiding a smirk and Juhani didn't even bother covering her grin. Bastila sighed angrily and leaned back into the couch.

"So you kids better scram and do that for me. They're about a mile or two to the northwest of here. There's a path." Jolee ushered Bastila, Juhani and Alaanis up and out of his hut. " And don't come back until you get it done."

XxXxX

The three jedi walked around in the shadowlands, running into a lone katarn and a few kinrath along their journey. Juhani's leg was mainly healed from the force healing that Jolee, Bastila, Alaanis and herself had administered, so she didn't have any trouble walking or fighting.

Bastila spotted the Czerka team first. A good twenty Czerka employees in the full uniform were standing around, a few of them working on sensors while others worked with boxes of supplies and one, who must've been the leader, was telling everybody what to do.

"So how are we supposed to do this?" Alaanis grumbled.

Juhani smirked suddenly. "See those sensors?" She pointed to the five sensors standing in a pentagonal shape around the Czerka team. "They're warding off the animals."

"So if we shut them down they'll be attacked?" Bastila asked skeptically. "Jolee asked us not to kill them."

"No," Alaanis corrected her. "If we shut down those sensors, an animal will penetrate their area and they'll realize that the sensors are faulty and they'll go back to the surface."

"Exactly," Juhani said with a feline-like smile.

"But how are we going to shut them down?" Bastila questioned her two fellow jedi. Juhani and Alaanis exchanged glances. This was something Alaanis liked about Juhani. Juhani was a lot more like Alaanis than Bastila, so the stodgy jedi would be outnumbered.

"The force of course," Alaanis grinned. Bastila scowled.

"It's abusing the power of the force!" she scolded. Alaanis rolled her eyes.

"Look Bastila, would you stop these lectures?" Alaanis exclaimed quietly so that the Czerka team wouldn't hear their argument. "We're as dedicated to the light as you are, despite our fun-loving natures."

Juhani's smile widened. "Yes Bastila, you should lighten up. A sense of humor never caused one to fall to the dark side." Bastila sighed angrily and shook her head.

"Let's get this over with," the chestnut-haired jedi finally agreed.

Walking like they owned the place, the three jedi arrived in the encampment and ignored the leader, now lecturing a young woman who was having trouble opening one box. They each walked to a different young man working on their own sensor. Nobody else noticed the three jedi, absorbed in their own work.

"Hello handsome," Alaanis said quirkily to a boy who was obviously too young for her. _Force, this is like a repeat of the sith kid on Taris!_ She smiled a winning smile at the boy who fumbled with the hydrospanner he was holding as he stood up straight.

"Hi," he said nervously.

"So what does this do?" Alaanis asked him with a grin on her face. She jerked her head towards the sensor to indicate what she was talking about.

"It keeps the animals out from here," the Czerka employee informed her. "But it obviously didn't work on you." _Could there be a worse pick-up line?_ Alaanis asked herself. She had trouble not laughing outright.

"Do you think you could shut it down for me?" Alaanis asked persuasively, shoving the force into her words, working its wonders on the weak-minded kid standing in front of her.

"I can shut this down for you," the Czerka repeated, doing just as he was saying. Alaanis walked away grinning and watch Juhani act in a different manner, getting straight to business and telling her Czerka victim to shut his down without question. He did just that.

Bastila was having the easiest time. Her victim wouldn't take his eyes off her chest. _Men,_ Alaanis thought to herself as she watched the Czerka next to Bastila go into a trance-like state and shut his sensor off. The three jedi walked out of the encampment together and heard behind them shrieks as a katarn infiltrated the area.

"How did that thing get in here?" the leader exclaimed as he shot the katarn with his blaster rifle. The katarn fell with a few fatal shots.

"The sensors are faulty!" Juhani's victim cried. "We have to get out of here before more lethal creatures come!" The employees were quick to scatter and left a bunch of their supplies back.

Alaanis walked back into the camp after it emptied to loot the stuff from it. Juhani laughed when Alaanis told her what she was going back for. Bastila, of course, scowled. "How do you know they won't be back?" she questioned the older woman.

"It doesn't matter, they've got endless supplies! They're Czerka!" Alaanis said exasperatedly.

A laugh came from behind Bastila. Jolee himself was standing there. "Good work kids," he greeted them as he walked up to Alaanis who was picking the lock off a metal box. "Got them out of here fairly quickly. All you needed was the charms I see."

Alaanis grinned at the old man. "Now are you going to help us?"

Jolee nodded. "I don't go back on deals. It'll take a good couple days to find that Star Map of yours, it's fairly deep into the Shadowlands. Not a great distance, but great risks separate us from the Star Map. We should run into Freyyr on the way. Come back to my hut and get your stuff and we'll head out."

XxXxX

Jolee hadn't been lying when he had said it would take some time to get to the Star Map, not because of the distance but because of the obstacles. They ran into dozens of katarn, and even a much more vicious creature Alaanis couldn't recognize.

"A terentak," Bastila explained. Jolee nodded. "I had heard rumors of them existing here in the shadowlands as well as on Korriban."

"There aren't many down here, but I've seen this one before," Jolee told the group. "I had issues getting around it. I couldn't take the thing on my own. There are probably plenty more around the planet on the bottom here, but I'm unsure of how many."

After a whole day of traveling, they still weren't halfway to the Star Map with all the creatures they had to fight and especially when Alaanis got stuck in a pit for a good two hours.

They set up camp for the night, taking hourly shifts guarding the area in case of any more creatures. They all awoke grumpily and tired from lack of sleep. Two katarn attacks had interrupted the night.

"Come on kids, let's keep moving," Jolee growled as they continued their travels. "I think Freyyr is near here…"

Cutting through the wilds with her vibroswords, Alaanis led the way with Jolee right at her side to navigate. They didn't want to ignite their lightsabers and attract unwanted attention. Soon enough, Jolee was right. A Wookie with a stature much like Zaalbar and Chuundar, but with Chuundar's pale fur was leaning against a tree trunk, roaring madly.

"Freyrr!" Jolee called. The Wookie roared angrily in their general direction before charging right at them.

"Uh oh, he must not have recognized me," Jolee muttered. Bastila and Juhani ignited a single lightsaber each, for self defense, as Freyyr came running at the four with a sword in hand, charging right at Alaanis. The woman held up her vibroswords in a defense position, blocking the angry and fury-ruled blow. Freyyr attacked again and again, apparently just itching for a way to take out his rage.

Alaanis found herself needing to take an offensive state to stop the Wookie from his current state of mind, clouded and angry. Perhaps a blow to the side would deliver a blow to his mind, she thought as she struck at her side with one vibrosword.

Freyyr called out in pain as she landed the blow. He collapsed onto his knees, more from overwhelming grief rather than physical pain. Jolee continued yelling to catch the Wookie's attention, trying to get him to remember Jolee.

":What are you waiting for:" Freyyr roared. ":Kill me! You have me at your mercy:"

"I'm not going to kill you," Alaanis declared as she put away her vibroswords.

":You understand me:" Freyyr asked the strange woman. Alaanis nodded her head.

"Freyyr didn't you recognize me?" Jolee exclaimed.

":I am sorry Jolee my friend, I am grief-stricken, and through that, I lost my mind:" Freyyr apologized. Jolee smiled up at the Wookie.

"It's okay Freyyr."

"Chuundar did send me here to kill you though," Alaanis delivered the news sadly. "I don't want to kill you though. I don't respect Chuundar, especially if he'll send his own brother and father into exile." Freyyr looked at her curiously. "Your son Zaalbar follows me because of a lifedebt. Chuundar took him captive for returning because we came here in search of a Star Map. He would only give me Zaalbar back if I killed you."

":Then how do you intend on rescuing my son if you are not going to kill me:" Freyyr asked her. Alaanis shrugged. "I was hoping you could tell me that." The Wookie sat down on a log and thought about the current situation.

":I can think of one thing, though It'll be difficult and life-threatening:" Freyyr declared.

"Life-threatening? That sounds like the story of my life," Alaanis smirked. The Wookie laughed. ":You are one interesting specimen human:" he told her.

"I've heard that before," she smiled wider.

":You seem to be a good person, one I can trust:" Freyyr decided. ":Especially if you have gained the trust of Jolee. He is a good friend. I allowed him to live down here when he arrived twenty years ago. I didn't trust him at the time, but the way he has helped my village, disliked the Czerka, and assisted my friends and fellow Wookies, I respect him now.

":Now I ask of you to do something for me and if you do this, I believe we can overthrow my son Chuundar and perhaps reclaim the village and set my son Zaalbar free:" Freyyr concluded.

"What do you want me to do?" Alaanis asked. She liked this Wookie. He was a lot like Zaalbar.

":Bacca was a great Wookie, the founder of our village:" Freyyr began. ":He had a blade that was famous. He fought off many outsiders with it. But one day when he came down here into the Shadowlands to proceed with an ancient ritual with a great beast in a fight, the blade was stuck in the beast and lost forever. Bacca died in the ritual. But the hilt was saved, and had been passed down generation after generation from chieftain to chieftain.

":Chuundar now holds the hilt as the new chieftain since he exiled his competition, Zaalbar and myself. But the blade is still stuck in the body of the great beast. Most likely at least. If you go south of here you will find an ancient marker and an empty field. Many Wookies used to test themselves against this great beast, but he hasn't been fought since Bacca died over a century ago. If you bring a dead specimen, fresh from the kill, to this area, the beast may come. It might've died long ago, but there is hope still.:"

"Sounds good," Alaanis smiled at the Wookie. "We'll try this. Hopefully luck will be on our side."

"There is no luck, there's the force," Bastila said involuntarily. She blushed as all Alaanis, Jolee, Juhani and Freyyr all stared at her. "Sorry. Reaction." Alaanis shook her head. Juhani grinned.

Leaving Freyyr behind, the four jedi found their way to this ancient ritual area Freyyr had spoke of. Quickly enough a kinrath appeared and Juhani stuck it easily with her blue blades. A dangling vine hung from a tree and Jolee tied the dead kinrath to the vine. Soon enough the ground began to rumble as huge footsteps were heard.

"Is that another terentak?" Bastila asked fearfully as the large beast came into view.

"Yep," Jolee grumbled. He ignited his double green lightsabers ready for battle. Alaanis grinned as she ignited her own violet saber and yellow saber.

"You didn't tell me you have two of those things!" she called impressed as the terentak rushed forward at the seven glows of lightsabers.

"You never asked!" Jolee yelled back over the screams of the terentak. It was the terentak they were looking for, mused Alaanis as she spotted something shiny lodged in its side. She lifted her blades and began hacking at the surface of the creature as Juhani, Jolee and Bastila did the same. Four different colors flew in strange syncopation as an image was lodged in Alaanis' mind of them defeating the terentak. The creature roared in rage as if it saw the same image. Then realization hit Alaanis.

Bastila was using her battle meditation. Stealing a glance, she saw Bastila away from the three jedi that were attacking the terentak. The older woman hadn't even seen her back away, but there she was, sitting on the ground in a meditative stance, using her gift of battle meditation.

New vigor in her fighting, Alaanis stabbed the terentak repeatedly, jumping out of the way easily whenever its claws flew at her. Only once did they scratch her, just barely, on her back lightly. It wasn't even close to deep as she jumped out of the way almost in time.

The terentak was overwhelmed by the jumps of the three humans it was trying to kill. Juhani would never stay in one place and her blue sabers were a blur as she moved swiftly and quickly, powered by her force speed. Jolee was chopping off each of the terentak's claws as it tried to scratch the old man. It appeared Jolee had been right; living in the shadowlands certainly kept up his fighting ability. Alaanis herself kept forgetting that force powers didn't work against the terentak and managed to get out of its large paws way as it tried to swipe at her.

The terentak's skin was tough, and the lightsabers collided with the surface dozens of times before completely penetrating the skin. It was certainly a long and difficult battle, but eventually the terentak fell and died with one last stab by Juhani.

"Well…" Alaanis trailed off, sweating profusely. "I wonder if we'd have even lived if Bastila hadn't helped us out there."

"So you've got that gift of Battle Meditation eh?" Jolee smirked at Bastila. "That's a nice advantage the Republic's got there. Even if I do live down here in the shadowlands I do get news of the wars going on. Snippets. All I know is that this is the second war in eight years. Some war with the Mandalorians three years before now, and for the past three years the Republic's been in a war with the sith led by Revan and Malak." Alaanis didn't notice it, but the old man gave her a glance as he said Revan's name.

"Anyways, we'd better return that blade to Freyyr," Juhani decided. Alaanis nodded her agreement. Despite the fact that all but Bastila were sweating and exhausted and panting, they went directly back to Freyyr in a flash after retrieving the blade from the terentak's surface.

":You have it:" Freyyr exclaimed seeing the blade in Alaanis' grasp. The weary and tired woman just grinned as she handed it to Freyyr.

"We'll be back at the surface in six days," Alaanis told him.

Freyyr understood. ":I will climb to the treetops and spread the news through the village, try and get them to see that Chuundar is doing them no favors by giving them over to Czerka. Gain some support, and then when you return, we will face Chuundar together.:"

Alaanis bowed her head lightly in respect. "I look forward to it." With a smile and a growl, the Wookie began climbing the nearest tree.

The four jedi stared after him for a few moments. Until Bastila coughed. Alaanis glanced over at the offending woman.

"I think we have a Star Map to look for as well," Bastila declared.

Alaanis groaned. "Oh come on, I'm exhausted! Can't we keep moving tomorrow? I'm tired!" She knew she was sounding whiny, but she couldn't help it. Bastila rolled her eyes but Juhani looked like she agreed with Alaanis.

"We all need rest Bastila, we have four four more days after this," the Cathar protested.

"How about you take the first guard shift?" Jolee suggested. Bastila looked ready to throw a tantrum but she just growled and nodded her head resentfully.

"Relax," Alaanis muttered before falling asleep.

XxXxX

Alaanis was taking the fourth guard shift and would have to wake Bastila up in about three minutes for her shift. It was rather quiet and eerie… but slightly peaceful if you were an overly optimistic person who didn't expect anything to attack you.

Soon enough Alaanis was shaking Bastila awake. She was obviously still in a foul mood from when they had decided to go to sleep.

"Bastila why can't you just relax?" Alaanis asked her, feeling rather tired as she sat down.

"I'm just used to being pushed, not sitting down and relaxing," Bastila admitted as she yawned and drank a bit of tea from a jug from Jolee's home.

"Well you're not at the jedi enclave any longer," Alaanis muttered. "You're just so afraid of the dark side that you don't seem to want to live."

The words struck closer to home than Bastila would've liked. "That's not true," she objected.

"Yes it is," Alaanis mumbled. She yawned. "You're so paranoid, you should join Carth's club of paranoid freaks." Bastila glowered at the older jedi, but Alaanis didn't notice since her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep.

"What would I be paranoid of?" Bastila asked.

"You're paranoid that everybody's going to try and make you fall to the dark side, and you're afraid you're going to fall because of everyday things like laughing and loving," Alaanis answered.

Bastila scoffed. "Jedi aren't allowed to love for a good reason."

"I doubt it. It's all in fear. And isn't fear a step to the dark side?" The older woman yawned again. "Sounds like the jedi are a bunch of hypocrites."

"You're one of them!"

"Who said I wasn't a hypocrite?" Bastila rolled her eyes angrily. She repeated the jedi code in her head. Alaanis laughed. "What are you laughing at?"

"You're reciting it aloud you know?" Alaanis informed the more awake Bastila. The latter groaned. Alaanis laughed again, rather goofily being so tired. "Does the force bond sort of interlock anything? Because it doesn't seem to be changing either of us."

Bastila ignored the question and came up with one of her own. "How do you stay so dedicated to the light and yet be so aggravating?"

Alaanis opened her eyes and gave Bastila a look. The younger woman seemed genuinely curious. "It's not that difficult really. I just do what I feel is right. And it just turns out that my instincts agree with the light side."

"But aren't you ever tempted?" Bastila questioned her, hoping that she wasn't alone in her thoughts.

"Yeah, sometimes I'm tempted, but then I think of how much you lecture me and I remember the right thing to do isn't always the easy one." Alaanis smiled at Bastila. "It sort of gets annoying knowing that my conscience is being replaced by you."

"Sorry," Bastila replied with a half-smile. She sipped her tea again It was quiet for a moment.

"I could help you, you know," Alaanis told her. Bastila knew that tone. She was about to make a joke. "You tell me what you're thinking of doing through the force bond, and I'll blink once for light side and twice for dark side. That work?" Alaanis snorted at her own joke, closing her eyes again.

Bastila rolled her eyes. "Real mature," she muttered. "But thanks for the serious things you said."

"No problem Bastila," Alaanis waved a tired hand. "We're friends. Easily annoyed with each other, tense in each other's presence and a bit of each other's opposite, but we're friends."

"Yeah," Bastila thought aloud as Alaanis fell asleep and her even breathing fell into syncopation with Jolee's snoring and Juhani's light breathing.

XxXxX

I could've made this chapter longer, and included the entire Shadowlands, but I wanted to make this chapter a bit shorter, because I'm sick of really long chapters. They're awesome to post but a real pain in the ass to write. So here's a measly fifteen pages chapter. Plus, I don't want Kashyyyk to be a three chapter planet like Dantooine was. I'm expecting at least four chapters.

Anyways… before I thank everyone for the reviews (which rock my world) I would like to shamelessly point my hand in the direction of my new fic Drunk Realities. A short fluffy fic about a LSF Exile and our favorite scoundrel Atton Rand, it seems that people like it, and I hope I can see you all heading over to it and checking it out. Right?

Also, inspired by writing said fic, two other events occurred. One, I made my own C2 community featuring stories about Atton or involving Atton. I am looking for a few staff members, so if you'd like to join let me know, if you want to volunteer your own fic or a fic you know, again let me know, and if I included your fic and you want me to not include it, again let me know.

The second event is that I started writing another one shot fic about a DSF Revan and a LSM Exile (against my usual LSF Exile and Revan style) and I have a question that needs answering. If anyone knows if the mass shadow generator was actually initiated during the Mandalorian Wars or not, let me know, because frankly I have no idea and I don't own Kotor 2 to check.

So, off of other topics and back onto this. Reviews! Right!

Jedi Revan Onasi – Thanks for the review! I have seen many Juhani interpretations, I wanted to give her a twist of my own, sort of a cross between Alaanis and Mission with a tad of Bastila conscience in her. X)

Resident roach code metallica – In the first game I managed to do the dark side ending once, but I played grey most of the game and in kotor 2, I've only finished two games, both light side. And I'm ashamed to admit I was only able to ever made Disciple a jedi! Well, I managed Atton the second time, but never Bao-Dur or Mira. I'm ashamed. I agree with the Disciple disliking, he bugs me a lot. And I don't like his accent. By the by, good luck with your kotor fan fic!

Rachil Fayrchild – Lack of romance in this chapter! Sorry! But we do see Carth pining for Alaanis (haha… pining) and T3 implying thins between Canderous and Bastila. Teehee.

Greatstar – Yep. I'm completely innocent. Thanks for the review!

Trillian4210 – Glad to hear you like it! I can't bear to make many one-shot fics so I had to add the Story Breaks in there. Of course, I've been thinking up one shot fics like crazy lately… but I usually manage to warp them into stuff that fits this fic or Destiny II.

Lunatic Pandora1 – Yep, old crackpot jedi is correct. I love Jolee. XD

Anyways, before I speak more about the next chapter, I am again begging for a beta or two to check over my chapters because I am way too lazy to edit anything. If you wanna beta, email me (its on the profile page) or leave a review with an email address.

So, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, not the most exciting, but I tried. I finished this up at 4:30am anyways, so you expect me to be able to type up the Star Map scene after this? No… we'll see the Star Map soon, just not now. It's summer, so I update about once a week, sometimes twice. Pretty often. Oddly, I feel if I don't post every few days I'm taking too long! Once I felt like I hadn't posted in forever, and it'd been three days!

Next chapter will possibly be titled "Of Maps and Wookies" where we will have our heros meet the Star Map, and participate in the fight between Freyyr and Chuundar. That chapter won't be extraordinarily long either. And lack of romance for a bit until we return to the ship. It's kind of hard to get romance when the three older females are stuck with an old coot and Carth and Canderous are with a teenager. A bit wrong for romance there if you ask me. –shudder- I can see the fan fic ideas now with Mission and Canderous… sick and wrong…

Anyways, but the chapter after that we will see our favorite couple –insert fangirl sighs here- reunited. Carth and Alaanis together again! Yay! And then Bastila and Canderous. Teehee. I love T3. Then it's off to Tatooine, and yes, HK-47, our favorite assassin droid.

So until the next chapter, review because you love me, check out Drunk Realities, saw you love my C2 community, review, volunteer to beta for me, review, tell me if the Mass Shadow Generator was used or not, review, vacuum because I felt like telling you to and REVIEW! Did I suggest that you review? XD Adios folks!

6-22-05


	17. Wookie Ways

Disclaimer: Me no own this. Any of it. I do call dibs on the name Alaanis Pi though. Nyah nyah!

Constant pre-apology: Me no have a beta reader. Me need one. Please help! So, because of this lack of beta reader, sorry if there are mistakes. I tried. –runs off and cries-

XxXxX

**Chapter Fourteen: Wookie Ways**

On the fourth day of their journey in the Shadowlands of Kashyyyk, Alaanis Pi, Bastila Shan and Juhani finally arrived to where Jolee Bindo declared the Star Map was.

"I've tried to get access to it before, just a few times, but it never let me through," Jolee informed the three as they walked towards a giant computer. It looked ancient, vines intertwining themselves around it. As Alaanis walked up closer to the computer, a strange creature appeared, speaking a language similar to the language the droid on Dantooine had used.

":Scanning…:" the hologram of the strange creature said.

"Now what's a computer on Kashyyyk speaking an ancient form of Selkath for?" Bastila asked a bit surprised. "First Dantooine and now here. It's just strange."

Jolee stared at the hologram with a look of distaste. "It's going to scan you and then reject you just like it rejected me…" the old man continued muttering. Alaanis snickered.

":Lifeform recognized, access granted:" the hologram declared.

"What!" Jolee exclaimed. Alaanis missed it as she confusedly looked at the hologram, but Bastila and Jolee exchanged a look like it explained everything. Juhani, on the other hand, caught it, and made a mental note to observe the two more closely in the future.

"Um… yeah, I was expecting that," Alaanis told the computer in a less than convincing voice. It was obviously sarcasm. But the hologram didn't pick up sarcasm.

":Subject declares remembrance. Access to all files granted:" the hologram added. _That was rather convenient,_ Alaanis thought to herself. She was thinking of asking why the computer granted her access, but knew better to ask the computer because it might shut her out and prevent them from recovering the Star Map. Maybe Bastila knew…

"How many people have tried to access your files?" Alaanis asked the computer.

":The creature Freyyr attempted seven times. The creature Jolee Bindo attempted one hundred and thirty four times.:" Alaanis gave Jolee a look. The old man chuckled nervously. "An old man gets bored sometimes."

Something clicked in Alaanis' mind. "Jolee… you've been down here twenty years. Revan and Malak… they must've come down at some point while you were down here. Did you ever meet them?"

Jolee looked a little nervous at being asked the question. "Um…" he began. He decided to be honest. "I met them. Revan was a fine lass and Malak was very faithful to her. She was quite bright. He was a rather good natured man back then. This was four years ago, just before their 'fall to the dark side'. Light, dark, it doesn't matter to me really. The jedi just try and make everything extremes. They can't accept that some people are in between…"

"So you did meet them?" Alaanis asked him, trying to get him back onto the question she had popped. Jolee nodded.

"I did indeed," he answered. "But it was a short conversation. They didn't stick around for long though. Just met them passing. No, I don't know any secrets about Dark Lords or anything, now I think we better get that Star Map and head back. It'll take a couple days."

"Right," Alaanis muttered turning back to the computer. "But I want to ask it a few more questions. Do you have any memory of something called a Star Forge? Or the location of said subject?"

":Error… no memory of 'Star Forge':" the hologram said. Alaanis cursed simply.

"How long have you been down here?" she asked the hologram.

":According to planetary rotations, approximately 29,814 years:" the hologram answered plainly. Alaanis' wasn't the only jaw that dropped.

"That updates the Republic by almost ten thousand years!" Bastila exclaimed. "It outdates the history of the Wookies on this planet! And the trees!"

":According to original reports, this planet was insufficient for living organics:" the hologram cut in.

Alaanis eyed the computer curiously. "Perhaps this computer is the reason the trees are so tall. It created them. And the Wookies!" The others stared at her, Bastila with contemplation, Juhani with curiosity and Jolee with an odd look.

Jolee shook his head. "A computer sprouting little hairy babies seems like a bit of a strange image."

"There is more than one way to influence the growth of a planet," Juhani shrugged. "Perhaps the computer affected the climate, and made the planet livable from there. If this planet was created by whatever species this creature here in the hologram is, then its not surprising that they would plant a Star Map on it."

"Well, I'm out of questions," Alaanis mumbled. "Permission to access Star Map?"

":Permission will be granted… but first you must pass either the physical or verbal test laid by my creator. Only the passers will be granted access to the Star Map:" the hologram declared. ":If you are truly the lifeform I recognized, you will be able to pass these tests.:"

"Oh come on!" Alaanis shouted.

She sighed. "Physical test," she decided. Soon enough three spider droids appeared out of the back of the large computer. All four jedi ignited their lightsabers, prepared to fight the droids. It only took about three minutes before the droids were destroyed. They were much like the ones on Dantooine, but with seven lightsabers flying every which way it was a much easier fight.

":Subject has passed the physical test. Access to Star Map granted. Shutting down…:" the hologram ended and next to the computer, an object identical to the pyramid shaped Star Map on Dantooine opened up, revealing the second Star Map. It looked much like the other Star Map, except this one seemed to have a different piece missing.

"I guess the long shot came through," Bastila said in awe as she saw the Star Map. Alaanis was copying the information into her journal. Juhani was making a copy in a spare datapad.

A moment of silence passed before anybody wanted to suggest they get moving again. Jolee and Bastila opened their mouths at the same time to say something, but both were interrupted by a howl of pain, obviously caused by a Wookie. The four jedi exchanged glances before all ran in the direction of the howl.

The source was found quickly enough, an eighth of a mile away where a Wookie was lying on the ground clutching its right side tightly. The Wookie's brown fur was matted with blood. Around him lay three other dead Wookies

":Please outsider, could you spare me a moment of medical assistance:" the Wookie begged them, pointing a furry paw towards a large gash in his chest. It was surrounded by many smaller cuts, some on his left arm and one nasty cut on his face.

"Lie still," Juhani instructed him. The Wookie complied, still howling quietly. The Cathar closed her eyes as she leaned down next to him and Alaanis could feel her through the force calling on the force to heal the Wookie's injuries. Soon enough, his cuts were mending themselves together and the bleeding stopped.

":Thank you outsider:" the Wookie woofed at Juhani as they both stood up. ":I was attacked by vicious outsiders, heavily armed and armored and they attacked us when we were beginning to make camp for the night. After we laid down our weapons. They were cowards.:"

"They were wearing full body armor?" Alaanis asked the Wookie. He nodded a reply. "They sound like Mandalorians. Like the ones on Dantooine."

":Be careful outsider, most of my hunting party was killing by them:" the Wookie warned the four jedi. ":They were invisible, and then appeared out of nothing and attacked us.:"

Alaanis exchanged glances with her companions. "Thanks for the warning. We'll try and reason with them, or fight them if we have to. Are you well enough to climb?" The Wookie nodded and thanked them as he began climbing up the nearest tree.

"Lucky Wookies… they can climb these gigantic trees. They make it look so easy," Alaanis muttered.

"If there are Mandalorians down here we are going to have to be very careful," Bastila declared. She looked a bit nervous at the prospect of Mandalorians.

"We'll just deal with it if it comes," Alaanis decided. "Come on, it's late we should make camp."

Bastila's eyes bugged out of her head. "Are you crazy? The Wookies were attacked right here! And you're saying we do the same thing? Get murdered making camp?"

_Bastila! I have a plan! Don't you trust me at all?_ Alaanis sent through the force bond the two women shared.

_Why don't you share it aloud then?_ Bastila growled back.

_Because the Mandalorians could be right here,_ Alaanis answered obviously. She rolled her blue eyes while Bastila's brown ones narrowed. _We'll pretend to not have our weapons out and then when they attack us, we'll turn the tables on them. Just stay on guard._

_This better work._

Alaanis winked at Jolee who seemed to understand what Alaanis was thinking easily. Juhani looked a bit confused but Bastila gave the Cathar a look that plainly said 'stay on guard' and the latter understood. Alaanis dropped her oversized bag and began setting up the small tent they had been using. Bastila began making a fire.

It was obvious the Mandalorians were there when Alaanis heard a small stick making an even smaller cracking sound not far from her. Juhani heard light footsteps, and Bastila and Jolee exchanged glances when they both heard them as well. All four jedi ignited their lightsabers and turned around quickly, deflecting blaster fire that was being shot at them at that instant.

There were eight Mandalorians; five of them were rushing forward with vibroblades in hand while three others were shooting at the jedi with their repeaters.

"Jedi!" one of them hissed as they saw the lightsabers. It would be the last thing he said.

The Mandalorians were skilled, but they were no match for the four skilled jedi they were facing. While Bastila fought off two at once with her double bladed lightsaber, Jolee was dueling with one of the more experienced Mandalorians. It took a good fifteen minutes, but the eight Mandalorians were crushed by the jedi.

But more were coming. In total, there were probably thirty Mandalorians. The first eight had been the less able ones, Alaanis decided after a half an hour of fighting. She had some nasty scrapes on her left leg, and her face was whelped by one Mandalorian's fist, leaving a large bruise on her right cheek with a small cut at her chin.

Jolee was probably fairing the best of the four with no major injuries and fighting off two Mandalorians now with his sabers, easily cutting off one of the two's arms and then stabbing him in the chest. He got at the second Mandalorian a bit tougher, being parried at every blow, but eventually the Mandalorian was chopping in half by the green sabers.

Juhani was also doing fairly well, fiercely outrunning the Mandalorians, as one chased after her, running at a top speed, she stopped, did a back flip and landed behind the Mandalorian in time to stab him in the back with her blue sabers. She did have a cut across her face, as if she had been whipped there. Bastila's left side was slightly beat up, having been pushed into a tree by one of the Mandalorians.

Somehow Bastila and Alaanis ended up back to back.

_Flip over me!_ Bastila commanded through the force bond. Alaanis obeyed and during a break in the Mandalorian she was facing, flipped over Bastila and landed her lightsaber right by the Mandalorian's neck. With little hesitation she decapitated him.

Bastila had taken over Alaanis' opponent and was about to do the same move to the Mandalorian, but was knocked off balance when the Mandalorian leaned forward and Bastila rolled onto his back. Somehow during the tumble though, her double bladed saber stuck itself into the Mandalorian's back and with a last scream he died.

Soon enough four Mandalorians were the only ones left. "You disrupted our little hunting party!" the leader called, laughing a bit. "But you're no match for us. We're elite Mandalorian soldiers!"

"Jedi or not we will gut you easily enough," one of his comrades threatened.

"I highly doubt that!" Alaanis yelled back, raising her violet saber high into the air. "Surrender or we have no choice left."

"Surrender?" the leader laughed. "Yeah, right." And with that he lifted his repeater and aimed right for Alaanis. The first shot she blocked with some difficulty and the second one she dodged by a hair, but the third knocked right into her side… knocking her back into unconsciousness.

Her last conscious thought was something along the lines of 'that damn old wound'.

XxXxX

"She's still unconscious? It's been two days!" Juhani's surprised voice broke into Alaanis' just awakening mind.

"Wait, I think she's awake," Jolee announced. "About time…"

"I wonder why she's always knocked unconscious from that old injury," Bastila mused.

"Old injury?" Jolee asked curiously.

"She got it back on Taris in the dueling ring. I think it was a poisonous blade, leaving behind an unstable injury. She didn't get the proper medical attention at the time. Then she got shot in the same wound a day later by the sith, reopening the wound. It knocked her unconscious. The jedi healer on Dantooine said it'll scar and perhaps in a few months it'll be healed fully, but the scar will always be there."

"Poisonous blade you think?"

"Carth thought so. He was with her when she got the injury. He'd have expected foul play in the dueling rings, whether or not she'd have gotten injured."

Alaanis finally opened her eyes and saw around her that they were located in Jolee's hut and she was lying on his couch. Juhani was sitting in a chair next to the couch, sipping some of Alaanis' caffa while Bastila and Jolee were talking behind the couch.

"Good morning," Juhani greeted Alaanis as the latter attempted to sit up. After a moment's struggle she managed to sit up. Bastila walked over to where Alaanis was half sitting, half lying down and leaned down into the second chair.

"We're meeting Growwleyr tomorrow," Bastila informed the older woman. "Jolee ended up carrying you on our travel back here. Glad to see that you're awake now. Juhani healed you up pretty quickly, but we couldn't wake you up."

"Well, I'm up now," Alaanis said with a slight bit of cheer. Her side had a slight pain in it, but it was feeling better. "I'm guessing you guys took care of those Mandalorians pretty easily?"

Juhani smiled. "Yes, they were no challenge. They were cowards." She handed one of Alaanis' caffa mugs to its owner.

"Canderous would agree with you," Alaanis pointed out as she accepted the mug with a grateful smile. The room grew deathly quiet for a second. "Oh come on you guys, despite the fact that neither or you get along with him, that doesn't mean you have to pretend he doesn't exist."

Bastila and Juhani remained silent. Alaanis groaned. "Bastila you remember him on Dantooine. Those Mandalorians there. You should be glad he's not like these Mandalorians we've come across, and is better than that. I respect him." The two younger jedi didn't say anything, but both avoided looking at anyone.

"I say a change of subject is in order," Jolee announced as he sat on a third chair in the room. "I was wondering if I'd be welcome to tag along with you younglings on your little quest."

"What if we said no?" Alaanis challenged him.

Jolee grunted. "I asked for your welcome, not your permission. I could stowaway on your ship if you didn't want me along! Rejecting an old man's wishes. Muck! Disrespectful!"

"Relax Jolee, we didn't say no," Alaanis smirked. "Why not? But why would you want to come along anyways?"

The old man gave her a look. "I've spent twenty years here! On a planet full of walking carpets and really, really tall trees! You think this is where I wanted to spend the rest of my life? Wrong! Just because I'm old doesn't mean that I don't get to go on adventures! That's biased! I've been on my share of adventures, but I'm far from done."

"Alright, alright!" Alaanis exclaimed. "I guess there's not harm in you coming. Welcome aboard the Ebon Hawk… well… when we get back to the Ebon Hawk. Good to have you aboard old man." Alaanis threw him a cocky grin. Jolee grumbled.

XxXxX

The next day, shortly after waking up, Jolee gathered everything of importance (and some good food considering the slosh the Ebon Hawk processed) and the four jedi left Jolee's hut.

"Who knows? You could wind up back here one day," Alaanis pointed out. Jolee mumbled something about smartass whippersnappers. Alaanis had no idea what she had done to be a smartass, but it was Jolee's problem, not hers.

It seemed like no time, probably with the lack of katarn attacks, before Alaanis, Juhani, Bastila and Jolee all showed up by the basket where Growwleyr was waiting for them. They walked into the basket soundlessly, and during the two day trip back to the treetops of Kashyyyk, nobody said anything. It was very quiet, obviously, but the basket trip seemed much quicker this time.

Perhaps it was the anticipation of the coming confrontation between Freyyr and Chuundar that was inevitable. It would be one interesting family reunion, considering that Zaalbar would be there as well. But how would they get Zaalbar now if Chuundar won? They hadn't killed Freyyr.

As soon as the four jedi and Growwleyr arrived at the village, a Wookie messenger had arrived for the jedi.

":Outsiders! You must come quickly! Freyyr has returned to the village. He says that you helped him retrieve Bacca's blade! I do not respect Chuundar, I withhold that respect for Freyyr. If he is telling the truth, then I suppose I respect you outsiders as well.:" the Wookie announced.

"What's happening? Is Freyyr with Chuundar?" Alaanis asked. The Wookie growled an affirmative. "Lead us on."

Running quickly along the Great Walkway, the four jedi and the Wookie messenger hurried to the Wookie village and to the cheiftain's hut. It was much more crowded this time, with Chuundar, Zaalbar (still cuffed), six Wookies loyal to Chuundar, two Czerka guards, Freyyr, and six Wookies loyal to Freyyr.

Along the way though, Alaanis had seen that the battle wasn't taking place just in this hut. Many Wookies were arguing, and a few were outright fighting, over who should rightly rule their village as chieftain: Freyyr or Chuundar.

":You betrayed me outsiders:" Chuundar roared as the four jedi entered the hut. Alaanis' eyes were narrowed with anger and Juhani's with disgust. Jolee's face was dripping with annoyance and Bastila's betrayed no emotions. Alaanis knew that she was reciting the code in her mind; she could hear it through the force bond.

"No, I just decided that I wouldn't do what you asked, but instead what was right," Alaanis spat.

"You sell your own species to Czerka as slaves!" Juhani yelled. "You think of yourself before your people, and you are corrupt! You are not worthy to be a leader!"

Chuundar's eyes narrowed considerably. ":You do not judge me, the mighty Chuundar, you disgraceful outsider:" He turned towards Alaanis. ":If you call off this crazed Wookie, I will return the madclaw to you unharmed.:"

":I am not crazed with anything but anger that my own son could betray his people:" Freyyr growled. He gripped his sword tightly in his hand. ":I do not want to fight you son, but if you insist, I suppose I will.:"

"Zaalbar, convince your brother and father to get along!" Alaanis called to the quiet Wookie desperately.

Zaalbar looked helpless as he stared between his father and brother. Then he let loose an almighty roar. ":Both of you stop fighting! We are family, why must we fight? Chuundar, despite what you try and explain to me, I see selling us Wookies to Czerka as wrong. Why can't you just let go of your power? Why must you drive off your competition, by provoking me and naming father as a madclaw? I am ashamed to admit that I, myself, am a madclaw, but father is not! You disgrace him with your accusations:"

Chuundar growled menacingly. ":I will not rest until both of you are dead and gone:" And with that the battle began. All hope was lost of convincing the Wookie otherwise as he aimed his bowcaster right at Alaanis.

Dodging Chuundar's wild shot blinded by rage, Alaanis first cut Zaalbar loose and handed him her vibroswords. Quickly enough, Alaanis had fallen one of Chuundar's loyal Wookies while Chuundar murdered one of Freyyr's loyal Wookies. Jolee went to work on the Czerka guards with ease, and Freyyr's Wookies went to battle with Chuundar's. Freyyr himself was locked into a duel with Chuundar, and neither was faltering anytime soon. Zaalbar sliced up one of Chuundar's Wookies and Bastila and Juhani teamed up on another of Chuundar's Wookies. Chuundar slipped away from Freyyr and killed one of Freyyr's Wookies.

Alaanis felt the battle upon her as she sliced her lightsaber through the arm of one of the Wookies loyal to Chuundar. Battle rage was upon her. And this frightened her.

_Why must I be angry when I fight? _Alaanis thought to herself. _Or guilty,_ she added, reminiscing upon other times and other battles.

_You must learn detachment from battle,_ Bastila's voice appeared through the force bond.

_How does someone detach themselves from a battle where they are killing people just like them? _Alaanis spat back at Bastila. The younger jedi seemed reluctant to answer. Alaanis could almost picture Bastila's biting her bottom lip as she did when she was nervous.

_By seeing them as nameless faces when they are your enemies and have no chance for redemption,_ Bastila finally responded.

_How can you tell if someone is beyond redemption?_

_I don't know… you can just tell._ This last message seemed to end their mental conversation. Alaanis tried to take Bastila's advice, and felt peace sear through her as she remembered her techniques from the Dantooine enclave, felt the force flow through her and tell her what to do and how to move. Shutting her eyes helped. And the battle winded down. Chuundar knew it when he was the last of his side; he had lost.

Panting, the current chieftain glanced around the room. One of Freyyr's loyal Wookies (whose name was Wrryork), Zaalbar, Alaanis, Jolee, Bastila, Juhani and Freyyr himself remained. Chuundar was alone in this fight.

":Chuundar! Don't do this:" Zaalbar called to his brother.

":No brother… I will do this:" Chuundar rushed at Freyyr and the two interlocked in a death duel. Chuundar parried a few of Freyyr's blows before pouncing onto the offensive himself. Freyyr reluctantly blocked Chuundar again and again with his sword.

":I am the rightful chieftain! I have Bacca's hilt:" Chuundar roared during their duel. He swung his vibroblade wildly at Freyyr who easily parried the attempt.

":Son, give this up! Please:" Freyyr pleaded.

":Never:"

Freyyr hesitated as he went into the offensive. In his rage, Chuundar was no match for his father who was ahead of him in speed, experience and skill. It wasn't long before Freyyr had Chuundar at his mercy. ":Finish it:" Chuundar ordered his father.

":No:" Freyyr refused. ":I will not murder my own son.:" He shot a defiant look down at Chuundar. Chuundar grabbed the sword out of his father's hand and stabbed himself with it.

":Then I will:" were Chuundar's dying words. Nobody in the vicinity could ever have forgotten the hatred born in Chuundar's eyes as he died. The pure anger and fury. The memory shook both Zaalbar and Freyyr for many years, knowing that he was their own kin.

Freyyr leaned down against his son's dead body and let loose a pained howl. Zaalbar walked over to his father and placed his paw on Freyyr's shoulder.

":I am sorry father:" Zaalbar muttered. Freyyr stood up and hugged Zaalbar.

":I am sorry I didn't believe you when you told me what Chuundar was doing son:" Freyyr apologized as their embrace broke. ":I was blinded by anger that you used your claws.:"

":I didn't mean to use my claws:" Zaalbar said ashamed. ":I was just so angry with him.:"

":I know Zaalbar, I know.:" Freyyr turned towards Alaanis. ":Thank you outsider. And your companions:" he motioned towards Bastila and Juhani. ":And thank you Jolee, my old friend, for helping me. But I thank you most of all outsider for returning my son to me. Alaanis Pi, I am sure my son's lifedebt is an honor above any other honor you will ever receive. He is a good Wookie.:"

":Thank you father:" Zaalbar said gratefully.

"Having Zaalbar around is an honor," Alaanis smiled.

":You deserve a reward for what you have done Alaanis Pi:" Freyyr told the human. ":You may have anything you wish.:" Alaanis resisted the temptation to ask for anything of worth. She knew she didn't need whatever he could offer.

"I thank you for your offer Freyyr, but I cannot accept any reward. I was just happy to help," Alaanis objected. Freyyr looked at her curiously.

":You are a strange human:" the Wookie mused, but he wasn't disappointed. The Wookies would need their supplies in the coming struggles.

":I have a request father:" Zaalbar spoke up. ":I would like Bacca's blade reunited with the hilt. If you would honor me with it.:" Freyyr's eyes seemed to bug out at this request. It was Alaanis' turn to look curious.

":That is quite a request:" Freyyr exclaimed. He gave it a moment of thought. ":Why not? I'll give it to you as an expectance of your return and of the chieftain you one day will be. I am sure you will one day make a great chieftain.:" Taking Bacca's hilt from it's place upon a display in the hut, and reconnecting it with Bacca's blade which Freyyr had had in hand, the older Wookie passed it to his son.

":Thank you father:" Zaalbar said upon receiving the now connected blade. ":I will one day return, and hold Bacca's blade in hand.:" The jedi looking on couldn't help but smile.

Freyyr looked down upon his son with pride gleaming in his eyes. ":I am sure you will.:"

"So what are you going to do about Czerka now?" Alaanis asked the newly reinstated chieftain.

":We will fight them off, and drive them off our planet:" Freyyr roared, the proud gleam vanishing and being replaced with determination. ":Chuundar should've never brought them here, and now that he has we must fight them off and show them who's in charge here. We will send climbers to other villages and collect together all the Wookies we can.

":Only you and your friends Alaanis Pi will be the welcome outsiders for a long time. We won't let any ship besides your land on Kashyyyk without a fight.:" Freyyr's dedication to his people and his resolve was something Alaanis had to admire.

"Thank you Freyyr," Alaanis bowed her head in respect. "But we must go now."

":Thank you outsider, yet again, for all you have done. I hope we meet again some day.:"

"I am sure we will." The four jedi left the hut, Zaalbar staying behind to say a last good-bye to his father. But soon enough the Wookie joined them, and they began walking out of the village.

Alaanis wasn't sure what to say, but eventually she just said it. "I'm sorry about your brother Zaalbar. I wish we could've changed him, made him realize the error of his ways… but I guess it wasn't meant to be."

":You tried Alaanis Pi:" Zaalbar growled dismissively. ":That's what matters. Thank you for rescuing me. Without killing my father.:" He looked over at Jolee. ":Who is this new human:"

"Jolee Bindo, meet Zaalbar," Alaanis introduced them. "Zaalbar, this is Jolee Bindo."

":Pleasure to meet you Jolee Bindo. My father used to speak of you when I was a cub, wondering if he should let you stay or not.:" Zaalbar greeted the old man. ":I was surprised to know a human who would stay on our planet, and in the shadowlands no less, and help us out so much.:"

"Yep," Jolee responded. "And I did it all for the Wookies."

XxXxX

Along the journey back to the Ebon Hawk, the five companions ran into quite a few fights between Wookies and Czerka. Though it was Czerka who called for their help, it was the Wookies that Alaanis, Juhani, Jolee, Bastila and Zaalbar helped.

By the time they finally arrived back at the ship, it was midday. Wookies instead of Czerka were guarding the landing platform. They paid no attention to the four humans and Zaalbar as they boarded the Ebon Hawk.

"This looks like a hunk of junk," Jolee grumbled as he walked up the boarding ramp. Alaanis rolled her eyes and second guessed bringing the old man along. She wondered what the rest of the crew would think.

As the five of them walked into the common room a blue flash ran up to them and quickly latched onto Zaalbar.

"Big Z!" Mission Vao shrieked! "You're alright! I'm so glad you're alright!"

":Thanks for caring Mission, yes I'm fine:" Zaalbar growled amused at his Twi'lek friend.

Mission looked over the rest of the returning group and gave Alaanis a hug as she did. "Alaanis! I'm glad you're alright! You too Juhani! And Bastila as well." Alaanis knew Mission was being polite when she mentioned Bastila. The two still weren't getting along real well. Juhani and Mission seemed to get along alright. Alaanis had even caught them talking about Taris once or twice when they first left Dantooine.

"Who's this old coot with you?" Mission asked in reference to Jolee. Jolee scoffed and started mumbling about ungrateful hooligans.

"Mission, this is Jolee Bindo," Alaanis introduced them. "Jolee, this is Mission Vao."

Mission chuckled. "You make Carth look like a kid! Heck, you probably make Canderous look like a teenager!" Jolee narrowed his eyes while Alaanis laughed good-naturedly. Bastila rolled her eyes.

Carth Onasi wandered into the common room then and spotted the six crew members randomly standing. Well, Juhani had sat down actually and Zaalbar found his way to his and Mission's usual couch, but Jolee, Alaanis, Mission and Bastila were still standing. Behind Carth was T3-M4.

"Alaanis! You're back!" Carth ran up and hugged her. Alaanis was a bit surprised, but hugged him back anyways.

"Good to see you too flyboy," Alaanis laughed as he let go. "By the way, Jolee Bindo, met Carth Onasi and vice versa. I'm going to get sick introducing people. Just introduce yourself from now on Jolee."

"Well you've introduced him to everyone but Canderous already anyways," Mission informed Alaanis as the teenage Twi'lek sat down next to Zaalbar, glad to be with her furry friend again.

Alaanis rolled her eyes with a smirk as she sat down on the couch opposite Mission and Zaalbar. "Where is the Mandalorian anyways?" the oldest of the women jedi asked. Mission shrugged.

"Probably still working on the swoop bike," Carth answered the question. "As far as I know he was just finishing up the modifications last night. Maybe he's checking it all out to make sure everything's fine."

It was quiet in the common room for a minute. Then Canderous made his grand entrance. The Mandalorian ambled into the common room and noticed that the three jedi and the Wookie had returned along with another jedi as he leaned against a wall. "Another jedi? Where'd you pick up this old guy?"

"In the shadowlands," Bastila answered the question. "And you shouldn't be talking. You aren't exactly the youngest thing in the room."

T3 made a few beeping sounds. Alaanis burst out laughing, Bastila blushed crimson and Canderous gave the droid a glare. Most of the rest of the room either didn't understand the droid or didn't show any acknowledgement to his comments.

"T3 was just making a few snide insults about Canderous…" Alaanis said, not daring to repeat what the droid had said. It had involved a few remarks about not just Canderous' age but the droid had declared that Canderous had been 'pining' for Bastila.

"I wonder where he got those ideas," Alaanis thought aloud, looking at Canderous with an amused gleam in her eyes. The Mandalorian growled and kicked the droid as it rolled out of the room.

"I say its time for lunch," Juhani declared.

"Alright," Carth agreed, "but during lunch you guys had better explain everything that happened in that Wookie village and down in the shadowlands. I think we that were stuck on the ship want to know."

"Did you find that Star Map thing you were looking for?" Canderous asked.

"Yes, we did," Alaanis nodded. As Jolee brought out some of the more edible food he had brought from his hut and Carth brought some of the synthesized crap the Ebon Hawk made and they settled around the common room. Canderous was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner while Bastila, Juhani and Jolee sat in other chairs around the room. Mission and Zaalbar were of course occupying their regular couch and Alaanis and Carth sat on the other couch. Alaanis, along with the help of Juhani, Bastila, Zaalbar and Jolee, told everyone what had happened on Kashyyyk.

At some point T3 rolled back into the room and joined in on listening to the story. He beeped curiously.

"You know I was wondering the same thing," Alaanis muttered. "I have no clue why the Star Map recognized me. It's really suspicious, and probably the oddest thing I've ever known, but I can't think of any logical explanations as to why a thirty thousand year old computer would recognize me."

The room grew deathly quiet for a split second before Canderous asked about the Mandalorians they had met in the shadowlands.

"Brutes and cowards, like the ones on Dantooine," Candeorus growled after Alaanis told him all about their encounter, or as much as she could remember before being knocked out. "They are a shame to the name Mandalorian." Alaanis was sure he would've continued his rant about dishonorable Mandalorians if she had given him the chance. But she didn't. Not after she heard Juhani mutter something Canderous hadn't caught that sounded like 'you're not so different from them'.

"So it seems like it wouldn't be surprising if the other three worlds held Star Maps," Alaanis pointed out. "But where should we go next?"

"Tatooine," Mission piped up. Alaanis hadn't expected a reaction from her and observed the Twi'lek curiously.

"Why do you want to go to Tatooine Mission?" Alaanis asked her.

Mission fidgeted slightly before sighing and explaining. "Well, I ran into Leena on Kashyyyk… working for Czerka. She told me Griff was on Tatooine. And I thought since we're planning on going there anyways, why not go there next? I don't want to take too long looking for him."

"Alright," Alaanis conceded. Then she asked in a more vulnerable voice, "Was there another reason?" The jedi expected either Mission to explode or answer reluctantly. Luckily, she got the latter.

With a second sigh, Mission answered. "She said some things about him… and I don't remember him all that well anymore. I want to refresh my memory of my opinion on him."

"Tatooine sound good for everybody?" Alaanis asked the crew. Nobody objected. Maybe for the change of scenery from lots of trees to lots of sand.

"We should contact the masters," Bastila told Alaanis. The latter agreed and the two left the common room for the security room and began a communication with the jedi enclave on Dantooine. Master Vrook received the communication and the two jedi on the Ebon Hawk watched as the bald and now blue jedi master stepped into view.

"Padawan Shan, Padawan Pi, have you news to report to the council?" Vrook asked in his usual short and sharp voice. Both the addressed bowed to Vrook in respect. _He's still scowling,_ Alaanis thought to herself.

"Yes Master Vrook, we have found a Star Map on Kashyyyk," Bastila informed Vrook.

"Very good Padawans," Vrook replied, the scowl still plastered to his face.

"We collected the information, and it seemed to match the map of Dantooine except that a different portion of the map was missing," Bastila explained.

"We are heading to Tatooine next," Alaanis added.

Vrook nodded his head. "Very well Padawans, contact us when you receive any new information. I shall share this bit of news with the council very soon. Good-bye."

Bastila and Alaanis bowed their heads again and the transmission ended.

"Are we leaving for Tatooine immediately?" Bastila asked Alaanis. The latter shrugged.

"Most likely, as soon as Carth is ready to fly." Alaanis moved to leave but Bastila cornered her quickly. Alaanis chuckled nervously. "Can I leave Bastila?"

The chestnut haired jedi shook her head. "I have to speak with you. You are aware of the jedi code are you not?"

Alaanis nodded her head and pointed to her jedi robe and lightsabers. "I think I would have to since I am a jedi," she answered obviously. She moved to leave again but Bastila stopped her.

"Then you do know that jedi are forbidden to love," Bastila said. Alaanis looked at her.

It was obvious this was the point of Bastila cornering her. To tell her to stay away from Carth and stop flirting with him since she couldn't love him. "I don't love Carth nor am I planning on it. I know what I am allowed to do and not to do." And with that Alaanis finally got past Bastila and made sure to keep her true thoughts on the matter hidden so that Bastila wouldn't hear them through their force bond.

_I am allowed to love as long as the council doesn't know. Plus, it's not like there's anything between Carth and I besides flirting and playful banter._

Alaanis smirked at her bending the rules and walked down the hall and into the cockpit where she saw Carth sitting at the controls. It was difficult lying to Bastila when she knew she shouldn't. But she couldn't say anything because she had no idea how Carth felt on the matter anyways.

"Hey flyboy," Alaanis greeted the pilot. Carth smiled up at her as she sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "Ready to take her off?"

"She's ready to move," Carth nodded. Alaanis quickly warned the rest of the crew that they were leaving Kashyyyk and returned back to the cockpit as Carth began lifting the Ebon Hawk into the air. They made their way swiftly out of the atmosphere and into space. Carth began punching in the coordinates for Tatooine.

"I wanted to ask you something," Alaanis began tentatively. _Her? Tentative? This was something new._

"Shoot," Carth answered, his eyes still on the galaxy map as he finished up the coordinates. He sat back down in the pilot's chair and smirked at Alaanis. He observed her, looking a little different than usual. Perhaps a little nervous? Nah… Alaanis couldn't be nervous. Her hair had seemed to grow while she was on Kashyyyk, an entire inch longer it appeared, cradling her chin with the blonde tips, while the rest revealed her natural color. Her blue eyes were looking anywhere but at Carth. Right now they were observing his boots.

"Are we doing anything?" she asked bluntly. Carth had no idea what she was talking about. Of course, his mind was on a different track at that time.

"What are you talking about Alaanis?" he scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion.

Alaanis opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off before she could say anything by a jerk of the Ebon Hawk and an alarm ringing. Both crew members stared at the sith ship that passed by the viewscreen of the Ebon Hawk in surprise.

"What's going on up here?" Canderous growled as he rushed into the cockpit.

"Sith fighters," Carth stated simply. "We've lost our communications system. And the hyperdrive is leaking. Get T3 to work on the hyperdrive. And you two better get on those guns unless you want to die."

Alaanis and Canderous hurried out of the cockpit. As they rushed by the common room where it seemed the rest of the crew was still sitting in, Alaanis told them all to buckle in and quickly told T3 to get to work on the hyperdrive before, like Canderous, hopping into one of the ship's two gun turrets.

The radar showed six sith fighters in all. Alaanis knew she could take them, and along with Canderous' help and Carth's flying skills, they'd beat those sith in no time.

_Just like smuggling_, Alaanis smirked to herself upon the memories of her previous times in a gunner seat.

One sith fighter tried to match Carth's roll maneuver as he avoided a rapid flurry of shots from a second sith fighter, and both sith were in for a surprise when Alaanis caught one and Canderous caught the other. Both exploded in an array of colors and molecules and vanished into space. Carth rolled the Ebon Hawk again, attempting to shake a fighter on their tail. Finally, he did a flip underneath the fighter and Alaanis shot the fighter with ease. Canderous hit one of the fighters on its wing where it swerved into the fifth and exploded. Alaanis caught the last one with such simplicity, it was almost like shooting a gizka.

"Nice work beautiful," Carth's voice came over the comm system of the ship. "And I meant Alaanis with that one Canderous, sorry to disappoint you."

"That's too bad," the Mandalorian said over the comm. Alaanis laughed to herself.

Bastila on the other hand was wearing a scowl to match Vrook's as Carth, Alaanis and Canderous arrived back in the common room of the Ebon Hawk, and the first two shared a hug, a couch and some looks that Bastila couldn't help but interpret as lies from Alaanis.

_Why does she have to be so much like Revan? She's going to end up being exactly like her true past. Starting out well, and then falling because of a mistake._

Bastila couldn't help but feel that mistake would be Carth.

XxXxX

Okay, I lied. I could never have managed to get this into two chapters before we get to Tatooine. Kind of sucks really. And I'm sorry this is pretty short. Only around fifteen pages. Taris took up a bunch of chapters, but these planets are rolling by so quickly. So, next obviously is Tatooine. Where we meet Mission's brother, Bastila's mother, Canderous' former comrade, and of course everybody's favorite assassin droid. Heehee… I expect he will be in the next chapter, but I make no promises. He will be in by at chapter sixteen at the latest though.

Now, anyways, I have to say that I was in such a rush to finish this chapter originally that I made it with as little detail as possible. So don't sue me if any of the detail I added in doesn't fit, because I ended up revising half of this chapter because it was obvious I just wanted to get it done. Surprisingly it was the first half lol. And the last bit about Alaanis and Carth? Yeah, randomly felt like adding that in. I have to say, I was surprised when I didn't get any lectures from Bastila about Carth in the game when I first played.

As for the title, call it lack of inspiration. I couldn't think of one good thing so I ended up just using this since we're on Kashyyyk and there are Wookies.

So… before I get to the reviews, here's another beg for a beta or two. Still lacking in that department since Shadows Run vanished. Anyways… onto the reviews! Thanks so much for them, they mean so much to me. Especially since I now have broken fifty reviews for this fic. XD You guys rock. Anyways…

_Lunatic Pandora1_ – I actually don't think I have Jolee and Canderous in the same party ever except for on the Star Forge (I always brought those two with me when I did light side). Canderous beating Jolee in arguments? I've gotta see this! –rushes to go play kotor and use Jolee and Canderous together-

_Kitome-chan_ – I'm glad you like the story! Thanks for the heads up on the katarn / dewback thing. I edited the chapter so that it switched the two. But thanks again:)

_Rachil Fayrchild_ – What's not to love about Jolee? Old guy, neutral jedi, annoying and long stories… And as for the romance stuff, don't worry! I'm… trying! Manaan is really the next big pivotal step. I'm not sure if anything special happens on Tatooine beside HK joining the party. I'm really centering the story around the Leviathon.

_Resident roach code metallica –_ Heh, this is highly ironic stuff! I'm planning on playing again (since I found this really helpful walkthrough) and finally get Mira and Bao-Dur to be jedi. I love Atton and Mira too. Visas isn't too bad either… but Atton and Mira are my favorites. XD In Drunk Realities, I wasn't even going to get Mira involved but I thought it was so Mira to be that blunt.

_Trillian4210 _– Thanks! I try so hard to get Jolee right and I'm always worried that I won't get him right. Whenever I get something that sounds a bit out of character I just make Jolee grumble. It's a fool-proof plan! Lol. And as for Bastila's paranoia, I believe that when a person preaches constantly against something, they're afraid they're going to do it. Heh, in fact, that's me! So that scene just really fell into place on its own. I was actually just going to have Alaanis bug Bastila instead of analyze her. But hey! It worked.

Sorry, I always write really long responses. Anyways, before the next chapter… we get the next story break! –teaser- when we meet up with our favorite (or my favorite really) threesome, Malak, Revan and Sienna (aka The exile), they are becoming jedi knights when some dreadful news is brought to the jedi temple on Coruscant…

Anyways, story break three should be up in a day or two because it's already written but I have some tweaking to do. By the way, sidenote: I noticed this later when I was writing a future scene for Destiny II that if my backstory was correct then Kreia and the exile would've already known each other. Meh. Fifteen years makes people forget stuff. I'm riding on that. They're forgetful people. They only met twice or so. I'm innocent! I'm just a writer!

So until the story break and the next chapter, review review and review! Because you love me and Destiny. XD A lot. Enough to review. I know there are a lot of silent readers. I have proof since the new stats thing was made. I accept anonymous reviews!

Okay, I'm done yet again. Until next time!

6-26-05


	18. SB3: Trials and Tribulations

_Yet another disclaimer: As much as I'd love to say it, I don't own this. But since these story breaks are twists of the backstory and I did create Sienna Vaas, my exile, I take credit for anything that none of the big head honchos do. Heehee… I get to claim this mini plot as mine! Yes!_

_Yet another pre-apology: Still no beta. Big chance of more screwed up stuff. Yay!_

XxXxX

**Story Break Three: Trials and Tribulations**

"Are you nervous?"

Malak turned towards his close friend Revan and raised his eyebrow. "Am I supposed to be nervous?"

"I would assume that you are by the way that you're sweating," a third voice joined in. It was Sienna Vaas, a friend of both Revan and Malak. Revan chuckled.

"How'd the trials go for you?" Revan asked Sienna as the latter sat down on a chair to Revan's left. Malak was on her right. Revan tucked some of her loose long black hair behind her ears. Sienna noticed Malak ogling Revan again. She shook her head mentally.

"A bit difficult, but I got through them," Sienna shrugged. "Master Vash taught me well. She was a good master. It'll be sad not to have her as my master anymore."

"I know what you mean," Revan said. "Master Kae was a good master to me. She was more like me than most of the other masters; you know because she wasn't one of those masters that spat the jedi code everywhere and then didn't act on it. She was more independent."

"You were both lucky," Malak sighed. "Master Hale was a rather tough master, always expecting more and more out of me." The bald man scoffed. "The past couple weeks have been hell. We stopped going on missions, went to Dantooine and spent three weeks going through everything I've learned since coming to the enclave."

"Well, you should be preparing for the trials though," Sienna pointed out. "It's not like you had a slacker for a master. I have to say, seven years with a master is something that changes you. Look at Revan, she's not using the force to steal our food anymore and play tricks on the masters!"

"Har har," Revan mock laughed. "I was only nine, I'm nineteen now. Not the same as I used to be okay?" Malak was laughing a bit. She elbowed him in the ribs. "At least my talent has grown unlike this Gammorean right here." Malak stopped laughing and glared playfully at Revan. She fake batted her eyelashes at him.

Sienna just watched the pair. It used to be just amusing the way they acted towards each other, but Revan was right; they had changed over ten years. And not necessarily in the right way. Revan may have matured and grown, but she was still possessed the same recklessness. The council hadn't liked the idea of Kreia being Revan's master, but both of them persisted, and so they were given each other as master and Padawan.

But though his Master had confined Malak, he still had grown despite himself. His brown eyes still gazed deeply into Revan's green ones. And in a nature not meant for jedi. Sienna had seen it for years now: Malak loved Revan.

Malak was then called to begin the trials himself. The three Padawans were trying to achieve knighthood during this week. Sienna had been in the trials since the previous day. It had been hard and quite a struggle, but the masters had told her she had done well. She would be notified if she had earned the level of knighthood within a week. Revan had taken the trials the day before Sienna, and heard a similar message from the masters.

Revan turned towards Sienna. "It's good to see you again Sienna," Revan smiled. "It had been a really long time." Sienna smiled. She nodded her head in agreement, her short dirty blonde hair bobbing. Her blue eyes twinkled at seeing her close friend again. The two embraced. They had met briefly when Sienna had showed up yesterday, but only for about a split second before Sienna began her trials.

"It had been too long Revan," Sienna finally said. "And in better circumstances this time. I must say, you and Kreia did have a knack for trouble when you were training on missions. She had to call for a back-up jedi when you two were captured by those Mandalorians."

"At least it was you and Master Vash who were close by and not some stodgy jedi who would've lectured us continuously for provoking Mandalorians," Revan chuckled. "Not that we were let off to easily…"

"Yeah Master Vash still lectured you two for a good half an hour," Sienna laughed. She liked talking with old friends again. It was relaxing, especially after the hard trials.

"Yeah, well, Mandalorians need little provoking before they attack you and tie you up, ready for some sacrifice of honor," Revan shrugged. "Kreia was just telling the truth when she told that one Mandalorian about how pointless his quest was."

"But she was questioning their honor, and everyone knows that's one dumb thing to do to a Mandalorian," Sienna said, grinning at Revan's head, turned to the side in contemplation. Sienna was probably the only person out side of Master Kae that could beat Revan in an argument. Revan hated this.

"I guess you're right," Revan said defeated. "But anyways-"

Revan was cut off by a door slamming shut and a young jedi messenger running through the room. He stopped at the door of the council chambers, knocking hard on it and panting. Sienna and Revan exchanged confused looks. The young jedi, who couldn't have been older than sixteen looked urgent.

"What's going on?" Revan asked him. He turned towards her.

"The Mandalorians," he replied, still panting hard. "They made their first attack against the Republic." Revan and Sienna both exchanged surprised looks.

"Where did they strike?" Sienna asked him. Revan gulped for a second. Sienna understood why. Her homeworld was not far from where the Mandalorians were rumored to be gathering, not to mention that her homeworld was full of good resources, the Mandalorians would want to capture.

"Deralia," the messenger told them.

Revan closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall behind the chairs where Sienna and Revan were sitting. Her worst fears were confirmed. The Mandalorians had attacked her home. Her mother, her father, her three brothers, they were probably either enslaved by the Mandalorians or all dead.

The messenger wasn't let into the chamber until late into the next morning when Malak emerged from his trials. As soon as the door opened, he left the room and saw the messenger enter the council chamber. The door was shut tightly behind him. Malak looked at his two female friends confused.

"The Mandalorians attacked," Sienna said. Malak lifted his eyebrows in shock and looked towards Revan. Sienna nodded. Revan had an emotionless look plastered onto her face. She was looking straight ahead. Sienna and Malak both understood that Revan would be feeling more upset than words could comfort.

"I've got an idea," Revan whispered suddenly. She hadn't spoken since the messenger had told them about Deralia. Sienna and Malak looked at Revan who walked over to the council door, closed her eyes, and felt with the force what was happening in the room.

Sienna and Malak copied her actions, and Sienna could almost make out what she could see in the chambers, but the words were what mattered the most to her right now.

"They won't make it here to Coruscant, without a fight from the Republic," the messenger explained. "The Republic was speaking of an attack on the Mandalorians soon. They said they didn't want to sit back while this happened."

"There is more at work here," one of the masters in the room said. Sienna only recognized three of the twelve masters in the room. One was newly made Master Kavar, the second was strict Master Atris, and the third was just as uptight Master Vrook.

"We cannot sit back and let those people suffer," Kavar pointed out. Atris glowered at him.

"We all know that we cannot send jedi to aid in this war," she said. "We are keepers of the peace, not war-mongering peoples." Her icy eyes gave a look to each member of the council in the room, as if warning them to challenge her ideals.

"I agree with Master Atris," Vrook told the council, his typical scowl still apparent on his face. "There is a deeper threat, further out than these Mandalorians, we must have patience."

":Something drove the Mandalorians to attack, whether they wanted to or not:" another unknown council member decided. He was a yellow Twi'lek and was wearing a contemplative look as he spoke.

"We must have patience," Vrook repeated, his hard eyes boring into each council member. Between him and Atris the council seemed to almost have no say whatsoever. Kavar seemed ready to object, but didn't say anything.

This was too much for Revan; Sienna could sense her friend breaking. Revan looked angrier than Sienna had ever seen her when she opened her eyes, breaking the connection into the room. Malak broke out of his connection just before Revan did as well.

"I can't believe them!" Revan exclaimed. She turned towards the council chamber door. Sienna knew she was going to break into the meeting. Normally, the more serene Padawan would've stopped Revan, but she too was a angry with the council for just sitting back and not acting.

Mandalorians had killed innocents! And the jedi wouldn't volunteer to protect the people of the republic? What happened to the 'protectors of the galaxy'? Sienna was outright disgusted.

Revan used the force the break into the council's chambers. All twelve masters as well as the young messenger turned towards Revan, closely flanked by Sienna and Malak. To the masters, Sienna was on Revan's left and Malak on her right. They all stared at the three Padawans with a annoyance in their eyes. Atris and Vrook outright glared. But Kavar and the Twi'lek were looking at the three more interested in what they would say.

"How dare you interrupt a council meeting!" Atris screeched.

"How dare you sit by while countless millions are going to die!" Revan countered. "There is a war coming with the Mandalorians, how can you ignore the threat they pose? They've attacked Deralia already, where are they going to strike next?"

"You are angry only because Deralia is where you hail from Padawan," Vrook stood from his chair. "You are being selfish, and leading yourself on the path to the dark side. You are forgetting your training just for vengeance. I knew you shouldn't have had Master Kae as your master."

"Kreia was a better master than you would've been!" Revan shouted. "And whether you like it or not, even if you exile me, even if you kick me out of the order, I don't care. I'm going to help the Republic in this war, even if you won't!" And with that, Revan turned on her heel, her brown Padawan robes flapping slightly as she left the chamber. Malak turned right behind her and followed her out of the room. Sienna took another second to look around the chamber at the masters.

"I may not have the wisdom you all possess, but I am glad I do not have the ignorance and arrogance," Sienna spat before leaving the room. None of the masters would ever forget the steely blue glare she addressed them with.

"Will we stop them?" Vrook exclaimed angrily.

"We can't change their minds," Kavar pointed out. "We all know Revan isn't one to listen to orders. And Padawans Bilk and Vaas are very loyal to her."

"I knew we shouldn't have paired her with Master Kae!" Atris muttered. Kavar looked over at the woman. He held little respect for Atris.

"She would've ended up this way whether or not she had been taught by Kreia," Kavar said simply, sparing a bit of an icy look in the older master's direction. "We'll just have to hope she can make the right choices when the time comes."

XxXxX

It had been two weeks since Revan, Malak and Sienna had barged into the council's meeting. Now, Revan and Malak were looking amongst the order for any Padawans who didn't believe in ignoring the war. Since they had all taken the trials, yet none had achieved knighthood yet, Sienna, Malak and Revan were all still in the jedi temple on Coruscant.

They spread the news quickly through the temple that they were going to meet to see who wanted to join the war effort. Revan soon became the leader of the three, as it had been and would be throughout the war. Malak easily stepped into stride next to her.

But Sienna, despite her strong beliefs in the war, stood off to the side when it came to the planning and recruiting. Revan had decided that they would gather as many jedi as they could, and then head to republic headquarters to inform the republic that they would have jedi support.

A late night, past midnight, Sienna found her way along long and twisting hallways of the jedi temple, hearing the rush of the fountains in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, as she found an turbolift and headed down to the basement level.

There, she could hear Malak's speech beginning. Though not as charismatic as Revan, Malak was able to influence the opinions of those gathered in the area. There were six jedi in the basement room currently standing in a line opposite of Malak. Sienna ambled in and joined the line.

Most of the jedi looked to be young knights or older Padawans around Sienna's age. There was one jedi, however that was very young, seemingly just an apprentice. Sienna looked at the girl curiously. The former doubted the latter would actually join a war.

"The Mandalorians have struck! We must lend aid to the republic," Malak was saying passionately. He obviously felt very strongly for the war. "With the help of the jedi, despite the council's wishes to not interfere, we could crush the Mandalorians!"

The jedi were all staring at Malak with interest, except for the young girl who obviously was not happy with what she heard. Sienna recognized the girl now. She had trained on the Dantooine enclave when Sienna had visited it recently. Her name was Bastila Shan.

"Who stand with me?" Malak smirked at the jedi. "Who stands with the republic?"

All the jedi exclaimed their support and Sienna just smiled. Malak knew he had the support of his friend. But Bastila was frowning.

"What about you, young one? Though I doubt you are old enough to go to war, will you support our cause?" Malak asked Bastila. The small chestnut haired jedi frowned.

"I believe what the masters say," Bastila replied snootily. "We should not go to war. We are jedi. Keeps of the peace, not warriors. Why must we fight? The republic can handle the Mandalorians."

"Which is why the Mandalorians crushed the republic in the past two battles?" Malak raised an eyebrow. "We may be keepers of the peace, but we are also guardians of the galaxy. And when provoked by violence, guards fight back in defense, against the offender."

"War is not the answer," Bastila narrowed her eyes.

"Then why did you come here?" Sienna asked the young apprentice. Bastila seemed to not have an answer and strode out of the room in much the same manner Revan had left the council chambers two weeks ago.

"We will inform you when we go to republic headquarters to involve ourselves," Malak told the five jedi who had stayed. "Thank you." The five jedi all left, all seething with pride for doing what they believed to be the right thing.

Malak sat down on a crate in the basement and Sienna walked over, smiled at him and sat down next to her friend.

"How is Revan doing?" Sienna asked the man next to her.

"She's not showing it, but I know the destruction of Deralia is still hard for her to accept," Malak answered, staring at the ground. "She fuels that anger and grief towards building up an army of jedi. We have gotten almost fifty jedi volunteers so far."

Sienna stared at Malak for a moment. He was thinking. Against what she normally thought as right, delved into his mind to see what was occupying his thoughts.

Unsurprisingly, Sienna saw Revan. Her quirky grin… replaced with an image of despair upon hearing of her homeworld and what had happened to it. And an old memory appeared, the one back when they were teenagers at the enclave on Dantooine. When Revan had kissed Malak.

_I wonder where she is now,_ Malak was thinking. _I wish I could protect her from the pain of Deralia… but I can't._ Sienna left Malak's mind, looking at him slightly differently.

_I knew it!_ Sienna thought to herself. _I knew he loved her!_

But ultimately, would that be a good thing? First of all, jedi weren't supposed to love. And second of all, Revan couldn't be distracted if she was going to war. She was a leader, and the republic obviously was going to either let her be in charge, or have her force them to put her in charge.

"I'm sure she'll be alright," Sienna murmured. She decided to ask Malak about what she had seen and heard. "Do you love her?"

Malak was obviously startled by this question. "What?" he exclaimed, shaken. He almost jumped off of the crate. Sienna smirked.

"I asked if you loved Revan," Sienna repeated.

"No," Malak replied quickly and firmly.

"Right."

Sienna decided she probably wouldn't get a straight answer, and she knew the truth anyways, so she left the basement level and Malak to his musings.

This wasn't important anyways. There was a war to go to. There were people to protect. There were lives and worlds on the line. And Sienna was exhausted so there was also sleep to be had. Malak's interest in Revan wouldn't be important or significant at all in the future besides to fuel his loyalty to her. Or so Sienna thought.

XxXxX

Cool! I think this is the longest story break so far! XD Yay for me. And you people reading this. Okay...

Muaha! Quick note: I used a little tidbit robbed from lord of the Rings in this chapter. The location of where Malak and Sienna are sitting next to Revan and when they enter the council's meeting. I remember a line from Return of the King when Denethor is talking to Gandalf. "With your left hand you would use me as a shield against Mordor and with your right hand you would seek to supplant me." I have no clue if it's in the book since I only had the movie handy, but therefore I put Malak (the supplanter) on the right and Sienna (the 'shield' in cryptic ways) on the left. Muaha!

Yeah, weird but I felt like including it. Okay, now that I'm done sharing that basically pointless piece of information…

This was a quick and lovely story break I've had written for a couple weeks. I revised it though and added everything after the meeting just now. Anyways… I must say how saddened I am. No reviews? Wah! And the worst part of it, is according to the stats information just added, I got fifty five hits on the new chapter. –whine- And nobody could review and tell me if they liked it or not? –runs off crying-

Meh. Maybe I'm just spoiled considering I've been getting reviews since the second chapter was posted like three months ago. I think this is the first chapter since when I first posted the story I haven't gotten reviews.

Okay, enough guilt-tripping lol. I'm just used to reviews. Even though I am posting this not much more than twenty four hours later. Maybe I'll get double the reviews! Ooh! Ooh! I shouldn't build up my hopes. Lol… anyways… no idea how long it'll be until I update, probably a week or less (I spoil you guys with how often I've been updating lately).

So next chapter we land on Tatooine, and I believe we will hear the line I'm sure many of you have been waiting to hear. "Statement: HK-47 is ready to serve." But who knows how long I will take if I get no reviews hmmm? Muahahahahahahahahaha!

Okay, I'll shut up now. Pleeeeease review? Until next time, review –cough- review some more –cough- review, and do other stuff that you feel like doing. Like reviewing. I'm a harsh writer aren't I? Suck it up and review. XD

6-27-05


	19. Desert Planet

Disclaimer: Not mine. Not the plot, not the characters, not basically anything.

Author's Notes: I had a chapter fifteen written up about half way done then I got Manga5Lore's very long review and realized that I needed to rewrite it. I have about two pages worth of responses that I will add later to answer that review. Thanks for the construction criticism. :)

Also, now we're onto Tatooine where we meet our favorite droid… oh I am going to have fun writing HK… -excited shiver-

XxXxX

**Chapter Fifteen: Desert Planet**

Sand… everything was sand. As far as she could see there was sand. These were the dune seas of Tatooine, an unlivable desert sea as far as the eyes could see. But this was where it was. This is where the Star Map was.

_The unconscious thought floated through her mind as to how lucky she was that it hadn't taken them more than a few days to travel here. She could feel the dark energy rolling out from the cave behind her. Where the krayt dragon guarded its precious treasure._

It will soon be my treasure,_ she thought. She smirked as she concocted her plan, only a bantha's grunt to interrupt her thoughts…_

XxXxX

Alaanis Pi rolled over in her bed, halfway to falling off. Groaning, she sat up, her vision foggy from sitting up too quickly.

It had been two days since they had left Kashyyyk and they had just landed on Tatooine while the crew, bar Carth piloting the ship, had slept.

Looking around the starboard dormitory, Alaanis yawned noticing her surroundings. Bastila was in the center of the room meditating. Juhani and Mission's beds were empty. Checking her chrometer to make sure she hadn't slept too late, Alaanis stood up and pulled out some clothes and her jedi robes, heading to the door.

"Another dream?" Bastila said coolly. She had been speaking in such a manner since their last discussion about Carth. Alaanis had tried to shrug it off, but Bastila obviously knew that Alaanis had been lying.

"You saw it too, do you really need my description?" Alaanis asked, leaning against the wall and yawning again. It hadn't been a peaceful night's sleep to say the least. All three dreams had brought uneasy slumber.

"Different points of views interpret differently," Bastila stated simply. "I'm just looking to gather all the information we need."

"Well, simple enough my thoughts told me that we had traveled for a few days worth, it was in a krayt dragon's cave, obviously it was in the dune seas, and there were banthas around," Alaanis explained. "Not that that narrows anything down considering there are tons of banthas and tons of dune sea on Tatooine. And many settlements. How do we know Anchorhead is the right settlement?"

"I did not choose this exact landing," Bastila admitted, her eyes closed still. "It must be the will of the Force. It has guided us to two Star Maps already. It is always guiding us."

Alaanis shrugged. She didn't want to get too philosophical before downing some caffa and heading to the 'fresher.

XxXxX

Bastila had decided not to stay in the dormitory for long. She felt different when she meditated on the Ebon Hawk. It was odd. Not like back on Dantooine where everyone else was jedi and she usually meditated along. Not like on the Endar Spire where she shared quarters with about a dozen other jedi. And not like on Taris where the decaying planet teemed with life, filled with so many emotions. It was difficult to take it all in at once.

Walking past the engine room, the young jedi spotted Juhani meditating, her back to the doorway. Her head was bent forward, her legs crossed and her arms folded. She didn't seem peaceful though. Something was plaguing her thoughts.

"Do you mind if I join you?" Bastila asked the Cathar.

"Not at all Bastila, come in," Juhani answered, lifting an arm to usher Bastila in. The slightly older jedi sat down to Juhani's right. "It is a peaceful place to meditate in here with the hum of the engines. Does it not remind you of the streams of Dantooine?"

"I did not usually meditate by the streams, but yes it is rather peaceful," Bastila noted. "You don't seem peaceful though. Is everything alright?"

Juhani opened her eyes and looked over at Bastila. "I cannot help but feel the emotions as they roll inside of me. The anger and despair of such things outside peaceful Dantooine. I had lived in the world before of course, as a slave and it made me bitter. I cannot help but hold this bitterness in my heart as much as it conflicts with being a jedi.

"How does she do it?" Juhani said quietly. "How does Alaanis act honestly and yet not defy her role as a jedi? She does these good things… and yet it's selfless. She received no reward."

"I do not know Juhani," Bastila replied with a shrug. "I am unsure myself. But I am not sure if she is the ideal jedi. She… defies the council's wishes and is headstrong. I admire her though."

"The council is wise but they are not all powerful," Juhani declared. "I feel so ashamed when I see her… it reminds me constantly of my fall." She turned away from Bastila. "I was so weak. I let my emotions control me. How does one keep such things in check though? Anger… vengeance… when I saw the Wookies held captive on Kashyyyk it took all of my power not to drive Czerka from the planet single-handedly and free the Wookies."

The Cathar smiled. "But it was done by the end." She turned back to Bastila. "Am I wrong to wish vengeance upon those who have harmed me? Those who have harmed the weak?"

"It is in the nature of your people Juhani," Bastila answered. "You cannot help but be a Cathar. As much as Alaanis and I cannot help but be human. Despite the good deeds she does, it is a battle for us all, to face the dark side and fight it. It's fought in our minds and hearts… not with the lightsaber or blaster."

"I suppose so," Juhani said quietly. "But I am jedi. I am supposed to be above such things." The self-hatred Juhani was harboring was evident through her expression.

Alaanis came ambling into the room as this point. "We are not almighty. We learn self-discipline and we try to be the best jedi we can be. That's all we have to do is try and fight the dark side within. As difficult as it is, we must accept that we're not perfect."

Bastila and Juhani both stared as the older jedi sat down on Juhani's left. Her hair was wet from the 'fresher and her skin was glistening, still covered in a soft layer of water. "I thank you both," Juhani said quietly. "Perhaps now I am peaceful enough to meditate."

"You can count on us," Alaanis told her. "When you feel you are losing it, use us. Draw upon our force auras. We'll help you out."

Juhani smiled and the three jedi crossed their legs, closed their eyes, and lost themselves in their connections to the force.

XxXxX

Around midday everybody finally found their way into the common room. Carth had walked up from the cockpit and was standing off to the side, Zaalbar was assisting Mission in making a computer spike on their usual couch, Juhani and Bastila found their way to the other couch, and Jolee, Canderous and Alaanis were sitting in chairs around the room, Canderous looking rather lazy as he pulled out one of his Mandalorian pistols and began examining it.

"So what are we sitting around for?" Jolee grumbled. "Don't we have a Star Map to search for here?"

Alaanis exchanged a glance with Bastila and then turned to look back at the rest of the room. She explained the dream they had shared. Mission cocked her head to one side. "What if the krayt dragon's still there? I mean… you may have killed a rancor, but I doubt the dragon's going to be very easy."

"We'll deal with that when we get there," Alaanis answered.

"Hunting is a sport around here," Bastila interjected. "Perhaps someone is eager enough to kill a krayt dragon?"

"How about we started with getting off the ship?" Carth muttered.

"Well, we'd be a rather odd bunch if all of us went," Alaanis decided. "And we don't want to draw much attention to ourselves. Perhaps a few of us should stay on the ship?"

"I'm not staying, I have business here," Mission declared with folded arms and a stubborn look.

"Well who wouldn't mind not coming?" Alaanis asked the room at large.

Canderous scoffed. "A world of sand isn't much of interest to me. Nothing worth doing here. Czerka will soon find they made a mistake coming here to mine the land. This world is a heap of garbage. I'm surprised that your star map is here in the first place."

"The star maps are thousands of years old," said Bastila. "Tatooine probably wasn't always a dune sea."

Alaanis sighed. "But where would we look first? Honestly, I doubt Czerka knows anything about it, much less cares, and most people living in this settlement haven't been here long enough to know or care."

"There are the jawas and the sandpeople," Carth told her. "They've been here a long time."

"How would we communicate with the sand people? It's not really a language course available at many universities or at jedi temples," Alaanis reminded him. The room was quiet temporarily.

":They must have a droid shop here. Maybe they have a protocol droid who can interpret the language:" Zaalbar suggested. Bastila translated for those who did not speak his language.

Alaanis mused for a moment. "That could work."

Carth gave her a look. "The sandpeople aren't much for negotiations you know. And I doubt they're very happy considering Czerka came and took over their territory."

"They've been shoving the jawas around and slaughtering the sandpeople… when they aren't killed first," Juhani added. "The sandpeople are vicious. I doubt we'll get close enough to talk to them."

'Well, like it's been said, how about we just get off the ship first?" Alaanis asked again. The room quieted again and everybody turned towards Alaanis. "So who's coming with me?" Mission was about to say something before she was interrupted. "Yeah I know you're coming Mission."

"We need to restock our supplies," Juhani stated. "I'll go and collect some new supplies."

":I shall stay behind on the ship:" Zaalbar declared. ":T3 needs some repairs. Perhaps you could pick up some parts at a droid shop:"

Alaanis nodded her head. "Will do." Jolee, Bastila and Carth all agreed to come as well as Juhani, Alaanis and Mission. Grabbing her oversize hunter green bag, Alaanis led the group off the ship and were greeted immediately by a Czerka representative.

Alaanis made some small talk with the Czerka representative, asking about their mining work. Canderous had been right when he said they wouldn't find anything. The Czerka representative finally left the group with a map of Anchorhead and the demand of a small docking fee. Carth wrangled up fifty credits and the six walked out of the hangar, map in hand.

"Okay… so the droid shop is near the gate to the dune seas," Alaanis noted, looking intently at the map. "The Czerka office is on the right here not too far from the hangar. Then a bit further away on the right is a swoop track and next door to it is the cantina. Across the way is the hunting lodge. Then there are some other Czerka buildings, but most look like they're for employees. Oh and then next door to the main Czerka office is a Czerka supply shop with a Czerka repair shop next door to that." She scoffed. "They don't hold back much do they?"

"So where to first then?" Carth asked her.

"I think we should split up to get things done quickly," Juhani suggested. "Bastila and I can buy the supplies while you go into the Czerka office. Then we will meet in the droid shop to get what Zaalbar needs for T3 and perhaps a protocol droid if necessary."

"That sounds good, anybody object?" Alaanis questioned. Nobody said anything so Alaanis assumed there were no objections. "Okay then… let's go."

It was a very short walk to the Czerka office, store and repair shop from the hangar as Alaanis had declared it would be. Juhani and Bastila branched off to go into the Czerka supply store while Alaanis, Carth, Jolee and Mission arrived in the Czerka main office.

The office was rather bland with a large 'Czerka Corporation Main Office' sign hanging on a bleak wall behind a large semi circular desk where a man was sitting, flipping through files on a computer consoles with a whole mess of datapads lying around. There were a couple employees standing off to the side of the desk, obviously waiting to talk to the man behind the desk. There were some shelves holding books such as _Czerka and You _and _Czerka's Tatooine Plan _sitting on them along with some brochures. Mission walked over and started sifting through a brochure. Alaanis peeked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Czerka was trying to make Tatooine sound like a leading urban planet… like the 'Coruscant of the outer rim' as the brochure stated.

On the left side of the room was a woman who appeared to be in her mid thirties with short brown hair and a sour look on her face. She was talking with an Ithorian.

":Why must Czerka repeatedly attack the sandpeople, can you not negotiate:" the Ithorian asked the woman. She must've been the head of the Czerka team… or at least in the small building.

"The sandpeople leave us no choice when they attack us," the woman said, sighing exasperatedly. "We didn't ask for them to attack us sir, we just have to fight back in return."

":Retaliation won't solve anything, you should have at least tried talking with them:" the Ithorian said grumpily before leaving the office. The Czerka representative groaned and shook her head.

"So many complaints about those damned sandpeople," the woman muttered. Alaanis left Mission with the brochure she was reading and went over to the Czerka representative. The woman looked curiously at Alaanis. "What would you like offworlder? And please don't say you want to complain. We've had enough complaints just this past week to suffice us forever. Ever since e started fighting back with those sandpeople…"

"I'm actually looking for information," Alaanis told her.

The woman's eyes grew slightly suspicious. "What kind of information?"

"Well, there are a few things I'd like to know," replied Alaanis. "I'll start off with an easy one. Do you have an employee named Griff here? A Twi'lek?"

The woman's eyes bugged out for a split second before she began stuttering, "Griff? I don't know any Griff… you must be mistaken. Czerka has no employees named Griff." Alaanis pierced her with a look that plainly said 'yeah right' and the representative sighed. "Yes… Griff is one of our less proud employees. He always skipped his shifts and complained about everything and stole from us. Good riddance he's gone."

Alaanis lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean he's gone? What happened to him?"

"In retaliation to a group of Czerka guards we sent after the sand people about a week ago, the sandpeople attacked a group of Czerka employees. We found a couple bodies, but no Twi'leks. But then again, we only found about half the employees that were attacked. This was about four days ago now," the woman explained.

"So Griff might just be being held captive by the sandpeople?" Alaanis asked.

The woman snorted. "If he acts anything like he did working under Czerka I wouldn't be surprised if they just killed him to shut him up. They're more known for keeping jawas as slaves than Czerka employees. Did you have other questions?"

"Yes… do you know anything about…" Alaanis thought it probably wasn't the brightest idea to mention a 'star map' unless it was completely necessary. "Do you know anything about a krayt dragon cave nearby?"

The representative nodded. "The hunters often like to challenge each other into hunting a krayt dragon that's been in a cave only a few days travels from the city wall. Nobody's ever succeeded. The dragon's been there for about a decade now, or at least anybody who's been here that long says so. But if you're planning on hunting, you need a license. And they're not giving out anymore anytime soon."

Alaanis' face fell. How the heck would they get into the dune seas then? "I could give you a hunting license though… but only if you help me out," the Czerka woman said. _Everybody always wants something in return for our help don't they?_

"What would you have me do?" the jedi asked.

"Like I said, the sandpeople are giving us trouble," the woman repeated. "Now… I don't care how you do it, whether you kill them or negotiate with them, whatever works, get them to stay away from ours mines and back off of Anchorhead."

Alaanis frowned. That wouldn't be easy. "How do you think I should go about doing this? And if I wanted to negotiate then how would I speak with them? I don't know the language."

"The droid shop owner, Janis, an Ithorian, boasts that he has a protocol droid that can speak the sandpeople language," the Czerka representative told Alaanis shrugged. "I don't know if it's true but you could ask him about it."

The jedi nodded. "Alright, that works. I'll do it."

"Excellent," the representative smiled. "Also, if you do decide to do this the easy way, bring back some gaffi sticks. There aren't many bounties around here, but I will give you two hundred credits for every gaffi stick you give to me. Think you can do this in three days? The sandpeople camp is about a half a day's journey away. I'll get you a map of course.

"And there are markers on the edge of territory used by Czerka. We recommend you don't pass the markers. Otherwise you may never find your way back considering that area is uncharted." Alaanis handed her journal to the woman who uploaded a map from her own datapad and handed the journal back to the jedi.

"I'll remember that, thanks," Alaanis said nodding.

"Did you have any other questions?" the representative asked with a false smile, but the relieved look on her face was genuine. _Thinking a jedi will get the job done easily I guess,_ Alaanis mused.

"That's it," Alaanis smiled back and turned around to almost walk right into Carth.

"Force Carth!" she exclaimed as he took a step back. "Make some more noise when you stand behind me. I had no clue you were there!"

"Is that my fault?" the pilot smirked at her. Alaanis gave him a look and walked around him. Mission and Jolee were both staring at the brochures, Jolee scowling.

"They're taking the little jawas as slaves to work in the cantinas on this planet," Jolee informed them as Mission put away the brochure entitled _The Natives_. "They were also talking about the sandpeople as savage beasts. You'd think they were katarns or maalraas by the way they were talking about the sandpeople. Czerka's pretty damn ignorant…"

"Well, we're supposed to either negotiate with the sandpeople or kill them," Alaanis told the group as they walked out of the Czerka office. Alaanis pulled out her journal to look at the map. She didn't see Bastila or Juhani in the supply shop. They were probably already at the droid shop.

"I bet Czerka wants you to kill them," Jolee grumbled.

"Probably," mumbled Alaanis.

Mission took a step in front of Alaanis and started walking backwards to talk with the female jedi. "Did you find out anything about Griff?" the Twi'lek asked curiously.

"Uh… yes…" Alaanis said cautiously.

"And what did you find out?"

"Besides that they think he's a slacker and probably were going to fire him soon anyways… he was caught in a sandpeople raid and is assumed either dead or being held captive," Alaanis said quickly.

"Dead? Captive?" Mission exclaimed. "I hope he's alright…"

Alaanis bit her lip to not say anything else. She was about ready to start trashing Mission's brother to no end by everything Mission, Leena and the Czerka representative had said. But then again, Alaanis had never met Griff. So she couldn't say anything.

"But we still need a protocol droid that can speak the sandpeople language," Carth's voice broke into her thoughts. "The Ithorian that owns the droid shop claims to have such a droid."

"Well, we'll see when we get there," Alaanis stated.

XxXxX

"Salutation: Greetings meatbags!"

Bastila raised an eyebrow at the rust colored droid standing in front of her. He had glowing red photoreceptors and in his hands was a blaster rifle that he looked like he could use quite well.

"'Meatbags'?" Juhani asked the droid curiously. The Ithorian droid shop owner, Janis, was standing off to the side, gathering together the parts Zaalbar had needed for T3.

"Statement: Yes, meatbags," the droid said. "Explanation: Lifeforms such as yourself have all that water and all those squishy innards-"

"We get the picture," Bastila cut him off. What an odd droid.

"Query: Are you going to purchase me?" questioned the droid.

Juhani examined the droid. It looked to be in rather good condition. "Perhaps we will be buying you," the Cathar replied. "Do you speak the sandpeople language?"

"Statement: Yes, meatbag, I do speak the sandpeople language," the droid answered. "I speak many languages." Juhani continued examining the droid, looking to see if anything was obviously wrong. She was no expert with droids and repairs, but she could spot any obvious problems.

The droid, HK-47 as Janis had called it, was in rather good condition. His memory core had suffered some damage, but besides that and a few scratches and dings, he looked to be quite fine.

"Salutation: Greeting meatbags!" HK-47 exclaimed, looking behind Juhani and Bastila to where Alaanis, Carth, Jolee and Mission stood in the doorway.

"'Meatbags?'" Mission repeated the question.

"Statement: Yes, meat-"

"We don't need another explanation," Bastila stopped HK from continuing. "It's his name for lifeforms. With a rather strange explanation."

Alaanis shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. Does it speak the sandpeople language?" Bastila nodded her head and Alaanis began examining the droid like Juhani had.

":It is in quite good condition despite its damaged memory core:" the Ithorian owner Janis told the newcomers. ":Here are the parts you requested.:" He handed Bastila a pile of parts while she then in turn handed Alaanis to stick in her giant bag.

"Query: Will you be purchasing me meatbag?" HK-47 asked.

":He is four thousand credits, a very nice bargain for such a talented droid:" Janis declared.

"Statement: My abilities are more extensive than the Ithorian meatbag knows," HK said. Alaanis snorted. She liked this droid… so far.

"Sure, I guess we'll be buying him," Alaanis nodded her head, pulling out a handful of credit chips from her pocket and giving them to Janis. Janis sealed the deal with Alaanis, and then the group of now seven walked out of the droid shop and headed to the cantina for some lunch.

"Statement: HK-47 is ready to serve."

"So… who owned you before Janis?" Alaanis asked HK curiously.

"Statement: My memory core has suffered some damage. I cannot answer that question," HK declared.

"What are your functions?" Bastila asked the droid.

"Statement: Assassination is my first priority function, and dialects of many organic forms is my second priority," HK explained.

Mission stopped in her tracks. "Whoa… an assassin droid?" She turned to Alaanis. "You just bought an assassin droid? Are you crazy?"

"I probably am, but I didn't know it was an assassin droid," Alaanis shrugged. "You won't kill us without an order directly from me will you?"

"Sorrowful Statement: Without your order, master, I cannot kill," HK answered.

"'Sorrowful'?" Carth shook his head. "As far as I can tell this thing is going to kill us all."

"Query: Would you like me to dispose of this smart mouth meatbag?" HK asked Alaanis. She could almost depict a pleading tone in this question.

"No HK, you can't kill Carth," Alaanis sighed. The seven continued walking towards the cantina. Inside weren't many people, perhaps a dozen or so, mainly Czerka employees off duty. A few jawas were walking around serving drinks. One of the things Czerka had done to Tatooine. Alaanis led everybody over to a table in the corner. HK stood behind the table while Jolee, Juhani, Bastila, Carth and Mission sat down. One of the jawas came over and they ordered some food for each of them.

"Bastila?"

The chestnut haired jedi turned her gaze away from Juhani whom she was talking with and caught sight of a woman who looked remarkably like Bastila, only about thirty five years older. For a moment Bastila looked shocked, and then she took on a cool look.

"Mother… what are you doing here?"

_This is your mother?_ Alaanis asked through the force bond.

_Yes, this is my mother._ Bastila answered.

"I was going to go look for you, but I don't have much money to go off planet and look all around the galaxy for you," Bastila's mother, Helena Shan, stated tersely. "Not like I'd have any idea where to look for you when you haven't even tried to get in contact with me or your father since you became a jedi."

"I wouldn't have known where to look for you either mother," Bastila muttered. The table was awfully quiet while the two Shan women stared at each other, both wearing icy expressions.

"So… where is father?" asked Bastila.

Helena's eyes grew dark. "Your father died Bastila. We came to Tatooine and your father wanted to hunt the krayt dragon here. Krayt dragon pearls are very valuable and we needed the money. But… on the hunt he was killed."

"Are you certain…?"

"There were eyewitnesses Bastila, he's dead." Bastila looked away from her mother.

"Led him to his death didn't you?" the younger Shan said bitterly. "You always made him go treasure-hunting. But it was never enough for you. Why didn't you just leave father and marry a baron if all you were going to do is push him from world to world and lead him to his death? You were so eager to get rid of me."

Helena's eyes narrowed. "I am not the reason your father died child, and you have your story backwards. Your father loved treasure hunting and though I didn't want him to keep traveling, he did. When the jedi said you could become one of them, I thought it was a better life for you than being dragged along on another one of your father's expeditions. I told him not to go after the krayt dragon, but he didn't listen to me."

Bastila scoffed. "You are lying!"

Shaking her head, Helena sighed. "I see you aren't going to believe me. I'll tell you what I approached you for then. I am sick. I can't stop it and all the doctors I've seen have told me that. All I want is your father's holocron. It was on his body when he died. In the krayt dragon's cave."

"You expect me to kill a krayt dragon just for you to have father's holocron?" Bastila exclaimed.

"Perhaps," Helena replied, her lips thin.

"Are you really even sick mother? Or are you just hoping for pity?" Bastila spat. "Who knows, maybe I'll just keep the holocron for myself instead of giving it to you." Helena shook her head and opened her mouth to reply before thinking better of it and leaving the cantina.

The silence of the table was broken by Juhani's question, "Are you going to give her the holocron if we find it? We will probably have to go through this krayt dragon first anyways."

"I don't know," Bastila answered, avoiding looking at anybody. "He was my father as he was her husband. But is keeping it being selfish?"

The jawas began bringing their food then. Alaanis was upset at seeing the jawas treated this way, as servants. She handed the jawas serving them a handful of credits.

":Thank you for your donation stranger, but we do not need it:" the jawa said refusing her credits. ":We are being paid contrary to popular belief.:"

Alaanis smiled at that and put her credits away as she began eating.

Lunch was a rather enjoyable affair. Bastila tried ignoring the naggings thoughts of her mother and participating in the conversations. Everybody seemed to be relaxed. HK complained at first about being around so many meatbags and not being able to kill any of them so Alaanis let him sign off. Everyone felt a bit more relaxed without an assassin droid hovering over their table.

They were having quite a good time that time rolled by as they sat in the cantina, sipping some ale and laughing. Juhani and Bastila were being a bit quieter, not drinking much. Alaanis and Carth both wouldn't let Mission drink anything alcoholic. The Twi'lek was grumpy at first but she settled for some juma juice.

It was almost sunset by the time they all left the cantina, HK back online and walking a few steps in front of the group.

It was a perfect time for the dark jedi to strike.

Nobody noticed as they passed by an alley and five figures fell from a rooftop. But before they could get too close, Alaanis, Bastila, Juhani and Jolee all felt the ripple in the force.

_Dark jedi,_ Alaanis thought.

_There are five of them… about ten meters behind us and closing,_ Bastila's thought floated through the force bond. The four jedi ignited their lightsabers and turned around quickly, Carth, Mission and HK all lifting their guns to shoot.

"Query: Master, may I kill these meatbags?" HK asked.

"If anybody attacks us and I fight back, you have the right to kill them," Alaanis explained as she parried a blow from one of the dark jedi wielding a red double-bladed lightsaber. Alaanis dropped down on one knee as a wild swipe was made for her neck and she cut the body in half with her violet saber. With seven against five it was no fight. Soon enough, only one dark jedi remained.

Aiming her Mandalorian blaster pistol, Mission made a clean shot right between the eyes of the dark jedi who collapsed onto the ground, dead. Alaanis took the lightsabers and a few credits the dark jedi had on them and stuffed them in her bag.

"Nice shot Mission," she commented as she looked at the last dark jedi, lying on the ground. She pulled out a datapad from the dark jedi's pocket. It had cracked but part of the message was still readable.

_Order from Lord Malak: Find the jedi Bastila Shan and capture her and her companions. You may kill all but Bastila…_

There seemed to be a few more lines but they weren't readable because of the large cracks in the screen. Alaanis threw the datapad down on the ground. "Perhaps we should get these bodies out of the street?"

Without any arguments, Jolee, Carth, Alaanis, Bastila and Juhani all grabbed a body and dumped them in the alleyway away from the center of attention. Then they continued back to the Ebon Hawk.

"Are there going to be dark jedi on every planet we go to?" Mission asked, a bit frazzled by the surprise attack as they boarded the ship.

"Probably," Bastila replied. "Malak knows the four planets we're going to travel to. Plus, Korriban is filled with tons of dark jedi so we're obviously going to see some… whether we fight them or not I don't know." Mission groaned as she fell down onto the couch of the Ebon Hawk.

"Query: Master… will I have permissions to kill these 'dark jedi' meatbags?"

XxXxX

Ah! It's short! I'm sorry! –apologizes- I just didn't feel like getting into the sandpeople stuff in this chapter. It's going to be included next chapter. And it will take a while… so I really think it would've taken me a while to write.

I'm sorry this chapter took a while to get out as well. I'd just been having complete writer's block for a few days. And then I went through a "I must draw Revan or the Exile or I will die!" phase. Which I haven't completely broken through, but I did draw Revan so I am rather happy. XD If you'd like to see my drawing (you know you do…) it hopefully will be on kotorfanmedia dot com soon. I'm waiting for it to be posted. It's not up yet. I'm Revans Pet Duck over there too.

Anyways… I must say complete thanks for the reviews! If you haven't notice (self promotion) I added a new one shot fic called Who We Were featuring a dark side female Revan and a light side male exile. XD If you're interested… alright I'll shut up now.

Continuing on, the Juhani/Bastila thing was inspired by Manga5Lore's rather long and critical (not in a bad way, mind you, your review made me realize how off some things were!). I had an original start to chapter fifteen but I hated it so much I was glad I could've rewritten it. It basically had Alaanis acting like a character right out of Mean Girls or something and spiting Bastila… and then there were these jawa homes…

So… I shall now respond to the reviews. Yay! XD

_Resident roach code metallica_ – Kreia bugged me to no end during the game. I just wanted to yell at her a lot. She's worse than Bastila in the first game! I love HK… he's not my favorite character, but he's amusing. Of course I've seen episode three! I liked it. Of course, the romance sucks, but star wars romance? Come on… "Shut up and kiss me you fool!" "I am haunted by the kiss you shouldn't have given me." Makes you really appreciate the Han/Leia stuff doesn't it?

_Lunatic Pandora1_ – Your buddy HK has finally arrived in the story! Happy? Anyways… I've been playing kotor2 lately so I haven't gotten around to Jolee/Canderous interactions. Sounds entertaining… It's on my to-do list.

_Siberian-Tigress_ – Thanks for the review! Glad you like Alaanis.

XxXxX

Now here comes the whopping two page response to _Manga5Lore'_s review… I had to write this right after I read the review because I could not get those comments out of my head. Even when I tried reading Harry Potter they haunted me…

Wow, that's a bundle of comments! Before I answer all of your comments and concerns, I'm saying thank you for being brutally honest. When I first read your review I started defending Destiny to no end, but that's because you were more often than not right. So, I shall answer everything now…

I rewrote a lot of the scenes (I'm glad you liked the Rukil one) and despite if they work or not, I just wanted to change things around. Some things just really did not fit for me in the game and sometimes I had complete issues making them fit at all, sometimes when they were necessary. It would help if you could point out some specifics where they didn't work, because I'm not sure exactly what you mean.

As for the Carth / Canderous thing… it may seem like Carth has forgotten everything, but its more like he has just started ignoring Canderous. They just don't end up interacting much. Perhaps in the future I will be forcing them together more (especially towards the end of the story) but mainly they end up steering clear of each other. And on Dantooine they sort of reached a truce. Nothing spoken, just kind of ignoring each other. Hey, if you don't like someone why continuously argue?

As for Bastila… I have a tendency to over exaggerate Bastila. I apologize for that and I will attempt to make her more realistic in the future. By the way, I use some words like lecture and tantrum very loosely. I don't mean them exactly word for word. Especially when I say Bastila was lecturing Alaanis, I usually mean that they had one of those in game conversations where Bastila starts up a conversation and Alaanis teases her and it gets full blown. And her self-discipline? Pshaw. Sorry, first word that popped into my head. Well I'm going with the Bastila who was selected as special as a child with her battle meditation and was always treated differently, yet still disciplined. She takes this out on Alaanis who she considers to be her inferior. She's a bit arrogant, like the jedi council.

As for Juhani being written wrong, I wasn't sure how to write Juhani so I reinterpreted her. I realized, rereading Destiny that I got her completely wrong. I must admit that I dislike the way I interpreted her. I am going to try and write her a bit differently from here on. Like for example in this chapter with the Juhani/Bastila dialogue. It's sort of the conversation Juhani initially has with the main character, but it felt more appropriate discussing it with Bastila for some reason.

As for Bastila / Canderous like I said I over exaggerate her, so their arguments seen full blown right? By the way, I'm not sure about doing a Bastila / Canderous romance. I was thinking about it, and I might, but there's no guarantee there. As for the 'no canon' there's no canon for many things, and yet its fan fiction therefore we can break canon right?

As for Carth's age and Canderous' hair, I forgot what Canderous' hair looked like so I just decided to make it brown, though I do imagine a handful of greys in there. Carth's age I am going to revise eventually (when I find out which chapter I put it in lol) because that was a complete accident and I am bugged by my lack of research. It's not really an Alternate Reality fic, it's just a very not researched fic therefore I got some facts wrong. Thanks for pointing them out though. :)

Did Juhani consider forgiving Canderous? Hm… -checks- Mm… you interpreted it wrong. Juhani was just trying to decide if she should release her anger or not. You see, since she's a jedi and this is Juhani, she feels obliged to stay calm and not get angry. Then again, she's a Cathar and has a fiery temper. She doesn't want to _forgive_ Canderous; she wants to _forget_ him.

The bickering between Bastila and Canderous… again, I exaggerate. Also, I know I'm not writing Canderous right. I have no clue how to write him. I try really hard with him (not like Juhani who I just said 'screw this' and wrote her how I felt like writing her) but I cannot get him right. As for Bastila using the force on Mission and Canderous, I'm being really hard on her. I'm making her into a spawn of the jedi council… you know arrogant and hypocritical. I should be nicer shouldn't I?

As for Bastila's apology… I thought it was sort of in character. It always seemed when I played that she'd fight with the character and then the next time you spoke she'd say 'I should've remembered my training' or something akin to that. And then more lectures on being frivolous…

Bastila's comments on wiping out the Mandalorians… in moments of anger humans do say things they don't mean. Like it's said in kotor2, "before being a jedi, she's a human". I think Disciple says that to the Exile. And Bastila gets angry with Canderous and says things she never would say normally. Anyone could've done it, its just human nature.

Bastila at war… I wouldn't really say that Taris or the Endar Spire was war. She fought a couple sith soldiers, got to an escape pod, fell on the planet of Taris, was held captive, was rescued and then fought through a sith base. Is that really war? It's more like a single battle. Or a chain of events caused by war.

Mission and Canderous… for me Mission is impressed by Canderous. Mission is also (to me) somebody who likes everybody. Even a tough Mandalorian bad guy. In your description of Canderous, I have to say mainly it's all what I agree with. But as far as I think, Canderous isn't a completely horrible guy. He isn't one to tease, yes, and that's out of character, I'll have to try doing that less. But I wouldn't see Canderous as one of those guys who sees a gizka that's irritating him and stomps on it. Perhaps he'll kick the gizka, but he wouldn't kill it.

Canderous and the Dantooine Mandalorians, I had a hard time with. I know he acted really out of character, but I kinda reinterpreted him because I cannot for the life of me write him correctly. I don't know… do you think I should just shove Canderous out of the picture? I like him as a character but it's hard to find the line between him and not him. Did I have him care about the farmers? Oops if I did. I'll try and write him better, though it's hard. But all around, I see him as not a jerk. I mean, really, he's completely whipped by Revan as we see him in kotor2. XD

So, I think I covered it all (and there was a lot in the 'all' heh). And as I reread the review, I must say that the Bastila / Canderous romance is an option, not a decided thing. As you said, they're going to eventually learn to deal with each other (Carth and Canderous too) but as for romance? That's hard to tell… And no offense, but I think you're making Canderous out a LITTLE harsher than he is. He's not an evil guy. He's just a Mandalorian who follows the Mandalorian honor type thing. Mandalorian honor and complete and utter brutality are two different things.

Again, thanks for your feedback. I need a beta like you lol, somebody who can criticize my work to no end. And the one thing I agree with most out of everything you said was that Juhani is written wrong. I will take that advice (and being nicer to Bastila) into my writing. And of course everything else. It was all VERY helpful.

XxXxX

Okay, I'm done with that very long response. Again, I apologize for the short chapter. I will try and update again within a week Though it'll be harder for me after that as I start my summer job in two weeks and the next Harry potter book is coming out soon. XD But expect chapter sixteen soon. Review (pleeeeeease) and Happy Independence Day for all fellow Americans. :)

Last note: Me is still looking for a beta. Help?

PS: I hit over a hundred thousand words! Yes! And at less than tenty chapters too... w00t! Okay. I'm done.

7-4-05


	20. The Sandpeople

_Disclaimer: This still isn't mine folks. Get over it._

_Author's Notes: Thanks to Trillian4210 for beta-ing this chapter! Major kudos! She did such a great job critiquing… -applause- Now you readers… ENJOY!_

XxXxX

**Chapter Sixteen: The Sand People**

Alaanis woke up early the next morning. She hadn't slept very well and she just wanted to get up and get things done. She was worried. The dark Jedi attack reminded her of how dangerous this really was. She had expected everyone to be fine in the end… but the farther the journey continued, the more she wondered about this end that they'd eventually reach.

And would they still be together at this end?

Rolling out of bed quietly, Alaanis hurried to the 'fresher. She wanted to be able to sneak out with just a few crew members to visit the sand people. Mission would want to come… but it was too dangerous. As much as Mission didn't want to admit it, she was young.

She had once brought up the argument of how young Juhani and Bastila were.

_"They're Jedi, Mission," Alaanis had told the Twi'lek. "They can fight. I'm not saying you aren't capable… because I'm worried about everybody in our party when we fight. I fear for them getting hurt."_

It was true. Alaanis worried about her crewmates and that something would happen to them. They hadn't been together for a very long time but they had all grown as friends. Or at least most of them had… Alaanis mused reminding herself of the tension between Canderous and basically every other companion.

Canderous was respectable in Alaanis' opinion; it's just that his methods were so different from the beliefs of the Republic and the Jedi. His motto was that the end defined the means. Not everyone felt that way.

The scoundrel wondered who exactly to bring along with her as she rubbed her eyes. It was too dangerous for Mission, and Alaanis couldn't drag Zaalbar along and just leave Mission behind. She refused to bring Bastila unless she was left with no other choice, as the younger jedi would certainly not agree with whatever Alaanis was probably doing. Whoever was awake would have to do… perhaps Carth would like to come…

Grabbing her oversized bag and walking out of the room quietly, a whisper stopped her.

"Going somewhere?" Juhani asked as she sat up in her bed.

Hesitantly, Alaanis nodded. "Yeah… I didn't want too many people to come with me to see the Sand People."

"I would be happy to accompany you, but only if you would have me along," the Cathar replied. Alaanis smiled and nodded. She left the room to see if anyone else was awake, leaving Juhani to dress and prepare.

Carth was lying in the cockpit as usual, his head leaning back in his chair and his eyes closed. Alaanis had expected to find him there if he was awake or otherwise. It wasn't the first time he'd slept in the cockpit.

"Hey flyboy," she greeted him gently, placing a hand on his shoulder to wake him up.

"Good morning beautiful," he murmured as he blinked and sat up. He gave her a small smile. "Leaving so early?"

"Going to see the sandpeople takes half a day at least. I'd thought I'd get an early start. I don't want to bring too many people with me, but Juhani's coming and of course we need to bring HK. I was wondering if you'd join us," Alaanis explained to the pilot.

Carth tilted his head to the side. "Sure, why not? Two Jedi, an assassin droid and a Republic pilot are in the desert. Sounds like the start of a bad joke. But won't Bastila get annoyed if you're not around when she gets up?"

"I'll get T3 to tell everybody where we went," Alaanis shrugged. She patted Carth's shoulder and then started out of the cockpit. "Come on, let's get moving!"

XxXxX

Half an hour later found Carth, Alaanis, HK-47 and Juhani all passing by the door leading into the Tatooine dune seas. Alaanis handed the guard her hunting license.

"Good hunting," the guard said, handing it back. They passed the gate.

"So… where are we going exactly?" Carth asked after a moment of walking around.

Alaanis sighed. "I don't know really… I doubt the sandpeople are going to be very welcoming when they see us coming towards their camp."

"Query: Master, can we just not kill these meatbags and save ourselves time?" HK interjected. Carth took a step away from the droid which walking behind him. Alaanis smirked.

"Sorry HK, but I want to try at least try and negotiate," Alaanis answered. "But if we come across anything that attacks us, you can go right ahead and attack it back." If HK had the ability, Alaanis was sure he would've perked up.

"So what do you suggest we do?" questioned Juhani.

The older Jedi looked in the distance and saw a large, smoking vehicle. "I think that we should go see what happened at that sandcrawler," she muttered before walking a bit faster towards the smoldering wreckage. Carth shrugged and followed her along with Juhani and HK.

"What happened here?" Alaanis asked as she came across a group of five men in Czerka uniforms, all holding guns nervously.

"We're not soldiers! We can't fight the sandpeople, but they attacked us before… there were around twenty of us," said the oldest of the group. He had a nest of grey hair on his sunburned head. "We've been out here since last night when the sandpeople first attacked us. We found refuge in this downed sandcrawler."

"Do you need any help?" Alaanis asked the man. He shook his head.

"No… there's nothing you can do unless you have direct contact with Czerka headquarters," the employee sighed. Then he jerked his head up. Alaanis had heard it too. A sharp cry of fury arose from the west. Another cry joined it, along with multiple more.

"Is that…?" she asked the man who nodded his head.

"Those are sandpeople cries," he told her. "And they're coming this way." He gripped his gun tighter. "Can you help us to fight them?"

Alaanis nodded. "We'll do what we can." She ignited her yellow and violet sabers while Juhani turned on her blue ones. Carth lifted his blasters and HK seemed like he would've been licking his lips with anticipation for the coming battle….if he could've.

Then the sandpeople came.

There were ten of them charging in their direction from the west. They wore sandy colored robes that matched the shades of the dune sea. Their helmets were fashioned by what looked like hulak ward horns, teeth and skin. Four of them carried gaffi sticks, but six of them were shooting blaster rifles at the Czerka miners. Carth and HK quickly began returning fire.

"Statement: Die meatbags die!" HK exclaimed as he knocked the butt of his blaster rifle into the gut of one of the sandpeople.

Alaanis quickly jumped into the crossfire and deflected as many of the blaster shots as possible, ricocheting them back at the sandpeople with her lightsabers. Juhani jumped right into the fray and with a battle cry began fighting ferociously with her own glowing blades.

A couple of the miners pulled out melee weapons and began charging back at the sandpeople but to no avail. Three of the miners were dead within moments. They could not face these warriors. They were not soldiers, as the oldest miner had declared.

Juhani, however, was leaping forward, attacking the sandpeople who carried gaffi sticks. They were worthy opponents, parrying Juhani's blows, but they weren't familiar with the Force. The Cathar used this against them as she used the Force to speed up her attacks and was able to strike down three of them down in minutes.

Carth was dodging blaster fire as he hid half of himself behind the sandcrawler. He jumped out to blast away the sandpeople every chance he got. One of the blasting sandpeople charged towards him and Carth shot him in the gut once, twice, and then three times before the creature finally collapsed onto the ground.

HK was clearly enjoying himself as he repeatedly shot at three different sandpeople. They returned their fire at HK, but the droid's protective armor deflected the bolts and so did no damage to him. He continued with his exclamations and threats to the 'meatbags' attacking him.

Alaanis tried to protect the two miners left alive, but as the last gaffi-wielding sandperson charged towards her she failed in her attempt. The sandperson gave her a quick uppercut, knocking her to the side. She quickly picked herself up, but it was too late-- the two last miners were shot by the two other sandpeople left with blasters. An extreme pang of guilt ran through the Jedi's mind as the two miners fell, dead before they hit the ground, with pained last expressions on their faces.

Juhani rushed over to where Alaanis was battling the sandperson who had knocked her to the side. The Cathar easily sliced through the flesh of the two blaster-carrying sandpeople, killing them before they could've even tried to shoot. With that, the battle had ended. With all their opponents dead, Carth and HK walked over to where the two Jedi stood.

Alaanis' chin was bleeding, but she ignored it and turned off her lightsabers as she knelt in front of the dead miners. She bowed her head and Juhani, turning off her lightsabers behind Alaanis, copied her motions. Carth and HK were silent.

Alaanis stood up again and turned away from the dead bodies, not wanting to look at the rigid faces of those she had failed to protect.

"Let's get moving," she decided. Carth stopped her before she could take a step.

"It's not your fault Alaanis," he told her as she avoided his gaze. The Jedi glared hard at the ground near Carth's feet.

"I should've been able to protect them, but I didn't. Because of me they're dead."

"They would've died anyways if we hadn't showed up," Juhani pointed out. "The sandpeople would've come and killed them."

Alaanis shook her head, even as the words sunk in and she knew that Juhani was right.

"Query: Master, would you like me to kill something for you to cheer you up?"

Alaanis chuckled dryly at HK. Carth looking a bit disgusted, Alaanis sat down on the sand.

"We still don't have a plan on how to get to the sand people," she reminded them. Carth and Juhani sat down and they sat in silence, trying to think of an idea.

A few moments passed until she caught sight of one of the dead sandpeople lying in the sand. She heard a Tusken call somewhere far from where they were in the dune seas, a fell voice on the barely existent wind. An instinctual reaction to an approaching Tusken would be to pretend that she and her party were sand people too. Perhaps by disguising themselves as Sand People they could ward off an attack. And there were dead sandpeople, complete with sandpeople clothes right here…

"Wait… I've got an idea!" Alaanis exclaimed, standing up abruptly. Carth looked at her curiously. Alaanis told the others her idea for disguise to prevent further attacks. "They might tell that we're not up close, but it's something to try. Hopefully they'll be surprised enough to talk to us," she said, shrugging.

"Query: Master, wouldn't it be simpler to just kill-"

"No HK we're going to try and negotiate," Alaanis sighed as she repeated what she had already decided. She peeled off the Tusken clothes of one of the dead creatures. Juhani and Carth shrugged and followed her example.

They each threw on the sand people robes and helmets over their clothes and armor. Alaanis' helmet felt rather big and Juhani had trouble putting hers on with her topknot. Carth was a little broad for the clothes he was wearing, but they all blended in well enough.

"Query: Master, what of myself?" HK asked Alaanis.

"I'm sure the sandpeople have a few droids and won't be too shocked if we carry you with us," Alaanis told the droid, her helmet muffling her voice a bit.

"I really hope this plan of yours works Alaanis," Carth told her. "I don't know if we can take on an entire sandpeople village."

Alaanis didn't answer him. She really hoped her plan would work too.

XxXxX

"She left!" Bastila shrieked at the small astromech droid.

T3 backed off a little before replying with a few beeps. Bastila seemed ready to explode. In the common room, Mission, Zaalbar, Canderous, Jolee and Bastila had all just listened to the recording Alaanis had left with T3.

"Get over it princess, we can't all play tagalong with her when she has things to do," Canderous growled. He stood up and began to walk out of the room. Bastila muttered about 'obnoxious Mandalorians' as Canderous left the room.

"Don't get in a titter girlie," Jolee told her. "Alaanis can take care of herself. She's a big girl. And she'll be back by the end of the day. Don't worry."

Mission seemed to be pouting a bit too as she sat on her couch next to Zaalbar, her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. "I can't believe she didn't ask me to come along. She brought her loverboy and a jedi who's only for three years on me. It's my brother those sandpeople have captive!"

":Maybe she thought it was safer to leave you behind Mission:" Zaalbar woofed. Mission didn't look the Wookie's way but Jolee nodded, seemingly agreeing.

"She can't drag everyone along into the Tatooine desert," Jolee mumbled.

Bastila huffed as she paced the common room. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "I've got to go after her," the Jedi declared. Jolee made a disapproving noise. "Why are you objecting this, old man? It's obvious why you left the Jedi, you have none of their wisdom. She can't be left alone and you know that!"

Mission and Zaalbar ignored the look Bastila fervently gave Jolee. The old man shook his head. "Alaanis is not a child. She's older than you girlie, though not as old or wise as I. And I don't want your speech on why I should return to the Order. I have no interest in returning."

Bastila sighed lightly. "Are you so sure you don't want to return to the Jedi?" It was a sharp change of topic, but it was obvious that the two jedi were unable to speak about Alaanis much in the company of others without the possibility of having something slip. Bastila found it smarter to avoid the topic whatsoever when speaking with the old man.

"I've been expecting this talk for a while, but I don't want to go back. The jedi and I have different ideals. They don't want to hear mine so why should I have to hear theirs?" Jolee grumbled.

The younger Jedi opened her mouth to say something and then thought better of it as she left the room. _I need to meditate… maybe I can speak to Alaanis through the force bond…_

XxXxX

The two Tatooine suns were just beginning their descent in the sky as Alaanis, Juhani and Carth, disguised as sand people and accompanied by HK, arrived at the sand people enclave.

Avoiding any close contact with the sand people roaming around the outside of the large tented area where they lived, the four companions arrived at the entrance. A Tusken guard stood and exclaimed something in his own language that Alaanis didn't need HK's translation to know. They had been recognized.

"Statement: Apparently, your disguise has failed you Master. Translation: We are not welcome. This meatbag is curious as to our presence here and if we have come to fight or not."

"HK, tell him quickly that we come in peace and that we mean no harm," Alaanis said hurriedly. HK translated and the guard made a reply.

"Translation: The meatbag says he is listening and to make your offer quickly before he attacks. Request: Master, it would be so much simpler to just kill…"

"No HK," Alaanis said sternly. She pulled off the sandperson helmet she was wearing and the Tusken made a small exclamation. "Tell him that we want to see his leader and strike a bargain about any prisoners he may be holding. Also, we wish to speak about their war with Czerka."

HK reluctantly translated for Alaanis. The guard took a moment before making a quick reply and motioned for Juhani, Alaanis, Carth and HK to follow him.

"Translation: The meatbag said that he will be watching you but will take you to his leader."

Alaanis, Carth, Juhani and HK were led through the sand people enclave through multiple rooms, but Alaanis made sure to memorize the path out of the enclave just in case things went wrong. The four companions were stopped by the entrance guard—and three others who had joined him—at a rather extravagant tent flap. Alaanis guessed it must've led into the sandpeople chieftain's room.

HK translated that the guards instructed them to take off their borrowed clothing and then further to remove their robes and armor. Alaanis, Juhani and Carth were left in thin layers of clothing. Alaanis hadn't realized how used to her Jedi robes she had become until this moment. She was wearing her rather simple jumpsuit she usually wore under them whereas Juhani was wearing less revealing clothing in a plain shirt and trousers. Carth was instructed to remove his rather baggy pants and was left in shorts and a skin-tight T-shirt. Alaanis couldn't help but glance at his well-formed figure.

"Um… why are our clothes being removed exactly?" Alaanis asked HK as Carth caught her staring and winked. She was blushing just slightly.

One of the guards said something in his native tongue.

"Translation: These meatbags says they will not allow you in front of their chieftain armed. He says that if you come in peace, as you disgustingly said you did, you will not need your weapons."

"'Disgustingly'?" Alaanis quirked an eyebrow.

"Explanation: Master, the guard did not express that emotion, I did."

Carth muttered something that sounded like 'psycho droids' and HK seemed to shift his hand holding his blaster rifle.

The guards then made sure to remove HK's obvious weapons (though Alaanis was sure there were multiple hidden ones) before they allowed the four of them before their chieftain.

The sandpeople chieftain seemed like most of the other sandpeople, except around his neck was a necklace composed of fangs from multiple creatures from the Tatooine dune seas. Alaanis recognized dewbacks, hulak wards and of course, one looked like it was from a krayt dragon. As far as Alaanis knew, the sandpeople considered banthas to be holy and would never slay one.

The chieftain said something that obviously expressed surprise. "Translation: The leader meatbag demands that you state your purpose for coming to his enclave. Request: Master, may I tell him it is in hopes of exterminating his tribe?"

"No HK!" Alaanis exclaimed for what seemed like the hundredth time. _He really wants to kill these sandpeople doesn't he? Maybe I made a mistake buying him…_

"Tell him we'd like to strike a bargain for a prisoner of his named Griff, a Twi'lek," Alaanis told HK. The assassin droid translated and the chieftain seemed jubilant with joy by his tone.

"Translation: Apparently, the meatbag says you can have the Twi'lek meatbag without even striking up a bargain."

Alaanis smirked. That sounded like what everybody but Mission thought of Griff. They'd give him away freely. "HK, also ask him if we could strike up a bargain for his people to stop fighting with Czerka and to leave the area to them to mine. Perhaps to move further into the desert."

HK translated what Alaanis had said and the chieftain took a moment before making a lengthy reply. "Translation: The meatbag leader said that he will ask his people to stop attacking the people you call Czerka if you do him a favor. Apparently his people are attempting to expand. The meatbag will stop these attacks if you bring him moisture vaporators so that his people can do so.

"Statement: It is likely that these moisture vaporators are expensive and difficult to retrieve," HK interjected into his own translation before Alaanis could comment. "Eager Request: Can we not save ourselves the trouble and simply annihilate these irritating and rather ugly meatbags? Not that any meatbags are very appealing… outside of you of course, master."

Carth backed another step away from HK. Alaanis almost laughed out loud at that but instead gave HK a stern look. "How many times do I need to tell you that murder is a last resort and not our main objective? Well… us living organic's objective," Alaanis added under her breath, remembering HK's assassination protocols. "We're going to try and NEGOCIATE first!

"Tell him we'll be back tomorrow with his moisture vaporators," Alaanis instructed the droid. HK sullenly translated for Alaanis and if he could've pouted, he would have. "And we'll take the Twi'lek then too." The chieftain seemed to join in with HK's pouting at hearing that statement.

XxXxX

Unfortunately, without the sand people clothes on, Alaanis, Carth, Juhani and HK had to fend off multiple attacks on their way back through the dune seas of Tatooine as the two suns set. It had become rather late at night by the time the four returned to Anchorhead.

The guard at the entrance asked if they had had a good hunt. Alaanis murmured something or other the guard took as an answer. Walking all day had taken its toll on her. She needed some sleep.

But once on the Ebon Hawk, the Jedi knew she wouldn't get any sleep until Bastila had her say.

"What in the name of the Force were you thinking?" Bastila exclaimed loudly as Alaanis, Carth, Juhani and HK arrived back on the ship. Bastila was standing in the common room, her hands on her hips. Zaalbar was also in the common room along with Mission who had fallen asleep on the Wookie.

"Mission appears to be sleeping, perhaps we should not wake her?" Juhani suggested lightly.

Mission groaned from her spot on Zaalbar and her eyes blinked open as she sat up straighter. "Bastila already woke me up. Real considerate Jedi stuff on keeping your voice down when people are sleeping, eh?"

Bastila's eyes narrowed.

She calmed down a little bit as Alaanis heard her reciting the Jedi code in her head through their Force bond. "I was almost expecting you to use the Force bond to pester me about leaving without you," Alaanis stated.

"I tried to," Bastila admitted. "But I couldn't get through to you."

Alaanis shrugged. "Maybe that's the consequence for getting angry so easily. Maybe you should've calmed down a bit. I'm not a kid, and I'm older than you anyways Bastila. Why are you being such a worrywart? I'm a big girl. And Juhani and Carth aren't little kiddies either. We were fine."

Bastila didn't seem to want to answer the question and her eyes fell to the ground. She was saved Alaanis' prying, though, as Mission interrupted.

"Since Bastila already expressed enough annoyance about you not taking us or even talking to us before you left, I guess I won't snap at you," Mission decided, yawning lightly. "Did you hear anything about Griff?" She looked at Alaanis' chin for a second and seemed ready to say something more, but didn't.

"Yeah," Alaanis said truthfully. "The sandpeople will give him to us tomorrow. They seem glad to be rid of him."

Mission ignored the insult to her brother and decided she was going to go off to bed. Zaalbar left the common room as well, followed by Bastila and Juhani. Alaanis began following them before Carth stopped her.

"Nobody else seemed to have the courage to tell you so I guess I'm stuck telling you that you've got a nasty bruise on your chin along with a nice cut on it," Carth explained. "Nothing much, but since you were wearing a Tusken helmet and trudging around in the desert with sand whipping around you, I think injecting some kolto would be a smart idea."

Alaanis was about to object about being fine, injured or not, but Carth held up a finger to her lips. She looked up at him grudgingly as he led her to the medical room. She sat down on the bed and Carth rummaged through a couple cabinets looking for some kolto.

"You'd have thought we could find some kolto easily in this place," Carth muttered as he rummaged a bit more. Alaanis felt rather sleepy and she laid her head down on the bed. Just for a moment of rest…

Finally Carth found some kolto and turned around, ready to inject it when he saw Alaanis sleeping peacefully on the bed. He smirked to himself and injected the healing substance. She continued to sleep, rolling over onto her side a bit.

She was awkwardly positioned on the bed with her legs completely dangling off. Carth lifted her legs and set her properly onto the medical bed. Her hair was wildly running over her face and he tucked it back behind her ears.

Carth stared at Alaanis for a moment, watching her sleep lightly. In his thirty-eight years he had only watched two other people sleep in his life: Morgana and Dustil. And they were both dead now…

But Alaanis was here, lying in a bed, sleeping peacefully. Carth watched her involuntarily hug her shoulders. Carth grabbed a spare blanket in the room and covered her with it before walking out of the room, a small smile on his face.

XxXxX

The next morning, Alaanis woke up, disoriented, before she remembered she had fallen asleep in the medical bay. She felt a light tingle in her chin.

Carth! That schutta! He injected me with the kolto when I was sleeping! He'd get an earful from her later… stabbing a sleeping person with a needle! Eh… maybe she shouldn't waste her time…

_Speaking of later, what time is it?_ Alaanis stared at her chronometer and noticed that it was just short of eight in the morning. Yawning, the Jedi stood up and set the blanket on one of the two chairs in the medical room before walking out.

It was rather odd sleeping in all those Jedi robes. A bit uncomfortable because of all the creases and hidden pockets in it, but still not too bad. Back in the starboard dormitory, both Bastila and Juhani were waiting for Alaanis.

"We just woke up and you weren't in here," Bastila said quietly, this time a bit more concerned about waking Mission up.

"I fell asleep in the medical bay," Alaanis stated simply. She looked instinctively for her bag before remembering she had left it in the common room when Carth had told her he should treat her injury the previous night.

"Bastila, I would say you could come, but the sandpeople only met Carth, Juhani, HK and me so I think it really isn't that smart to bring along a strange new outsider with us," Alaanis told the younger jedi as Bastila trailed Alaanis out of the starboard dormitory. Juhani wasn't far behind.

"Your reasoning makes sense," Bastila nodded her head. "Alright."

Alaanis smiled at the chestnut-haired jedi as she slung her bag over her shoulder. Bastila gave Alaanis a small smile. The latter walked out of the common room and checked the cockpit to see if Carth was there. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't sleeping in the cockpit. Alaanis walked back through the ship and found him sleeping rather peacefully in the port dormitory. Jolee was snoring and Canderous let loose a bit of a snort every now and then. Carth was snoring quietly and Zaalbar seemed to have a strange rhythmic assortment of different pitched woofs and growls escaping his mouth while he slept.

She laid a hand on Carth's shoulder and kneeled down on her knees before leaning into his ear. "Good morning, flyboy!" she exclaimed quietly enough so that it wouldn't wake the others, but loud enough to cause Carth to jump a little as his eyes opened.

His head turned towards her and his scowl seemed to disappear. "Morning beautiful," Carth said quietly.

Alaanis cocked her head to one side. "What, no smart remark about whispering in your ear to wake you up?" the scoundrel asked the pilot. "By the way, it's not nice to stick needles into sleeping people. Especially when they don't need it!" Carth rolled his eyes a bit as he sat up and stepped out of bed.

"We're leaving soon so don't take long in the 'fresher!" Alaanis told him as he left the dormitory, waving a hand dismissively at her comment.

Within twenty minutes Alaanis, Juhani, Carth and HK were walking towards the Czerka supply store to buy the moisture vaporators. The worker at the counter, a Rodian, looked awfully bored as he pointed sold two moisture vaporators to the offworlders.

Much like the previous day, the four trudged through the Tatooine dune seas for hours, HK carrying the moisture vaporators and complaining about the misuse of his many functions. Alaanis threatened to deactivate him after a while and he stopped complaining.

The guard at the entrance to the Tusken enclave showed quite the surprise in his tone as he beckoned the outsiders to enter inside. They were, again, brought to the chieftain, though this time they were only relieved of their obvious weapons and not made to go through a strip search… much to Alaanis' relief.

"Translation: This meatbag leader shows surprise that we returned," HK interpreted the sandpeople language as the chieftain spoke. "He is grateful that you did indeed bring him his moisture vaporators."

"Will his people stop their fighting with Czerka and leave the area near Anchorhead alone?" Alaanis asked the droid.

HK spoke with the chieftain briefly before translating. "Translation: The meatbag said that he made a bargain with you and is keeping the bargain. However, if we attack any of his people, the deal will be broken. He also says that he wants you to take the captive Twi'lek immediately."

Alaanis bowed her head in respect, but before she left she had another thing to ask. "HK could you ask the chieftain if he knows anything about a Star Map, an ancient artifact or a krayt dragon cave nearby?"

HK growled out the sandperson language what Alaanis had asked and the chieftain made a reply. "Translation: This meatbag says he has heard tell of a strange ancient object near a krayt dragon's cave. He claims to have a map of the Eastern Dune Seas where some of his people travel as well as some other tribes. He will give you this map, but he cannot guarantee that the sandpeople in the territory will not attack you as he cannot control them." The chieftain handed Alaanis a map on dried and old paper. _I guess they are rather primitive,_ Alaanis thought to herself as she pocketed the map.

"Tell him thank you for everything and that we'll take the Twi'lek if somebody can lead us to him," Alaanis concluded the conversation. The chieftain muttered something to a guard on his right who nodded and led the outsiders out of the chieftain's room.

Through a few tented hallways, Alaanis, Juhani, Carth and HK were led to a tied up flap which the guard opened with his vibroblade. Inside was a frightened-looking green Twi'lek who appeared to be in his early twenties.

"Did Czerka send you to save me?" Griff stuttered in galactic Basic. "Because I am a high ranking official at Czerka and there is a large reward for my rescue."

Alaanis exchanged looks with Carth and Juhani just stared at the Twi'lek. "Cut the chatter Griff. We're friends of Mission's and I don't know much about you so I can't say much. I'll leave whatever needs to be said to Mission."

Grif's eyes bugged out slightly as he caught a glance of Alaanis and Juhani's lightsabers. "Jedi!" he exclaimed. "Mission has friends that are Jedi? Mission is alive? When I heard about Taris I assumed the worst! I thought she'd have been killed."

Alaanis cocked her head to one side. "Come on Griff, let's get you back to your sister. Maybe you can clear a few things up for me then..."

Alaanis could've sworn that the sandpeople were rather happy to see their complaining captive leave. Unfortunately, she had gotten stuck with him.

XxXxX

"Mission! You're alive!"

"Griff! You're here!"

As Griff followed Alaanis, Juhani, Carth and HK up the loading ramp of the Ebon Hawk, Mission caught sight of her brother and ran right into his arms. HK immediately left the room muttering something along the lines of avoiding 'disgusting meatbag expressions of affection'.

The two siblings seemed extraordinarily happy to see each other, and despite what Alaanis had heard so far about Griff, he seemed genuinely happy with his younger sister. _Mission can bring out the soft spot in anybody,_ she told herself. Mission seemed just as happy to see her brother for the first time in years.

"I thought you would've been dead when I heard of what happened to Taris…" Griff told his sister as he let go of her.

Mission stopped smiling for a moment and observed Griff. "I have to ask you something Griff. I ran into Leena on Kashyyyk and she said that it was your idea to leave me on Taris when you guys left. Well… I wanted to know if she was right."

Griff scratched his neck nervously and avoided looking at Mission. "Um… well… she offered to have you come along but I thought you were doing so well on Taris…"

"'Well?" Mission exclaimed. "I was not doing well! The local cantina wanted to buy me as another Twi'lek dancing girl and I was an alien on Taris! That's not exactly doing well, Griff. In fact, if Big Z and I hadn't run into each other, we'd probably have both been long gone. And if we hadn't run into Alaanis… well, the situation would've been just as bad. And my own brother couldn't have saved me from almost certain death or slavery?"

"I had my own skin to look after!" Griff muttered.

"You had a sister to care about too, and when you decided to 'take care' of me, that gave you the responsibility of being my brother and looking out for my skin too! I thought you cared about me Griff, but apparently not!"

The blue Twi'lek huffed and walked out of the room, Griff looking nervously at her retreating back.

Alaanis rested her hand on her hip and shook her head as Griff turned towards her. Juhani was looking at the Twi'lek with a bit of disappointment and Carth had his arms folded and his eyebrows raised in surprise. The rest of the crew wasn't in the room.

"You know, maybe Mission will speak to you again despite the fact that you abandoned her, but it's not going to be any time soon," Alaanis told him. Griff didn't seem to want to suffer the wrath of two Jedi and a Republic pilot if he disagreed so he nodded his head and walked off the ship.

"Tell Mission that I'll be working in the Czerka supply shop most likely. Or if not there, then the Czerka representative will know where I am… if she wants to talk to me, tell her that, would you," Griff called as he left the ship.

"I almost feel bad that his sister hates him… almost," Alaanis declared as she sat down on a couch in the common room. Carth sat beside her and Juhani pulled up a chair to sit in.

"What a good example for Mission to live up to," Carth muttered. "At least she doesn't have to worry about dishonoring the family name or something like that. Griff appears to have already done the like by abandoning a kid alien on Taris."

"And being a stupid jackass by complaining to his captors," Alaanis scoffed. "What kind of captive complains to their captors? Honestly… he's one ridiculous liar. I'm surprised though, I expected more from somebody related to Mission."

"He's still my brother," said a quiet voice from the doorway. "Despite what he does wrong."

Alaanis looked up and caught sight of Mission looking rather sad as she ambled into the room and sat down on the couch she and Zaalbar usually possessed. "I mean, he's not a good guy really, but he's still my brother… right? I mean, even though he did leave me on Taris he's still my flesh and blood."

The older jedi in the room sighed lightly. "I guess you're right Mission. I just don't respect him for leaving you behind when everybody here knows how capable you are and how much we need you on this journey." Alaanis smirked. "If it wasn't for you, we would've died back on Taris."

The teenage Twi'lek grinned from across the room. Juhani moved over and sat down next to Mission to comfort her. "Family is something you should always stand by, but you must learn the difference between family and friends. Some people can be both, but sometimes being family doesn't guarantee that you must respect their decisions."

"Griff made some bad choices, but you're right, he's still your brother," Carth added. "You can try and help him, but if he chooses to ignore what you say, you can't change that. I guess you've just got to accept him for the good with the bad."

_If there is any good_, Alaanis thought to herself as Mission smiled a bit and said a 'thanks' for the comforting words before going off to bed, Juhani trailing after her.

"I wonder why Bastila isn't in here asking for a detailed explanation on what happened in the sand people territory," Alaanis asked aloud.

Carth shrugged. "Maybe she's already asleep. It's late."

Alaanis nodded. "Goodnight then, flyboy," she said, throwing him a wink as she stood up and walked to the starboard dormitory where Juhani and Mission were preparing for bed and Bastila laid in her bed fast asleep, a bit of a sour expression on her sleeping face.

_I wonder what she's dreaming about…_

XxXxX

Staying on the Ebon Hawk this day hadn't been as bad as the previous day, with Bastila now knowing where Alaanis was this time. Mission and Zaalbar had spent the day roaming around Anchorhead and apparently ended up in the cantina where Mission won quite a few rounds of Pazaak and a couple hundred credits.

Jolee had been in the garage all day, fixing one of the broken lightsabers the dark Jedi had been carrying two days ago. He had told Bastila when she asked that the more lightsabers they carried, the more heavily armed, and therefore, the better prepared they were.

Canderous ended up with his Mandalorian repeater in the common room. As Bastila didn't want to encounter the Mandalorian, she stayed in the engine room all day, meditating. She took a quick trip out during midday to eat at the cantina, hoping she wouldn't run into her mother again.

As Bastila returned to the ship and had to pass through the common room to get back to the engine room, Canderous spoke to her.

"Your father hunted creatures for honor and not credits did he not?"

Bastila stopped in mid-step to look at Canderous. He didn't take his eyes off of his repeater as he fitted it with a new energy cell.

"How did you know about my father?" the Jedi asked him.

The Mandalorian took his eyes off his gun and looked up at Bastila smirking. "Everybody on this ship knows about everything that happens, princess," he told her. "It's a small ship with a handful of people on board."

"Yes, my father hunted and thought he was paid for hunting, he enjoyed hunting as an art as he once told me," Bastila replied, nodding her head warily, not wanting to start another argument with the Mandalorian who seemed to provoke her so easily.

"I think that's honorable," Canderous said simply. "We Mandalorians honor those who can prove themselves in battle against others, including tough creatures, such as zakkegs."

"Father once killed a zakkeg when he went with a hunting party onto Dxun when I was young. My mother and I stayed in the city of Iziz on Onderon while father traveled to that moon. He was awfully proud and he gave mother the zakkeg ear as a gift. She refused it." Bastila wasn't sure why she was telling all of this to Canderous. Perhaps because he seemed truly interested in her father's quests for honor.

Canderous nodded his head lightly. "Each young Mandalorian has to prove themselves by riding a basilisk war droid into battle, freefalling from extreme heights in the midst of a battle. It's an exhilarating experience battling your ride into another battle. A trial of sorts to prove one's worth."

Bastila remained silent as Canderous reminisced upon his time on the basilisk war droid. It was important to him, this Mandalorian way of honor.

"I must ask, Canderous, why are you telling me these things?" Bastila asked curiously as the Mandalorian finished his explanation and rubbed a hand through his grayish hair in irritation.

"Because, princess, despite who you think you are, you are a warrior at heart," he said. Bastila's eyes narrowed just slightly. "Your father seemed to be a man of honor, and you are a worthy fighter in the battlefield. Despite your silly Jedi code, you would make a fine Mandalorian."

This statement was discomforting to Bastila as she walked back to the engine room to try and meditate. She found it hard, trying to concentrate on something with her conversation with Canderous running through her head. The jedi finally made herself go to sleep where she was haunted with dreams of being a Mandalorian, of past arguments with Canderous, and the often recurring dream of her duel with Revan.

XxXxX

Whee! Finished another chapter! XD There should be one more Tatooine chapter. I think just one at least. Perhaps I should just do one more, to keep with the tradition I seem to have made of three chapters a planet since Dantooine. Hm.

I'm sorry if the Canderous and Bastila conversation was a bit weird; it just popped out of nowhere. Seriously, I had no intention of writing it until it had written itself. I don't control my stories! Ah! That's a scary thought! But Trillian said it seemed good so I'll take her word for it…

Anyways, thank you guys so much for the reviews. They brighten up my day as always. Responding now…

_Lunatic Pandora1_ – Unfortunately I don't end up dragging HK along with me much in the second game. I have too much on my hands trying to jedify Mira, Atton, Bao-Dur and Disciple. Muck them. But when I do have HK along he's always a barrel of laughs. Especially for whomever he's holding his blaster rifle up to this time. XD

_Trillian4210 _– First everybody wants romance and now everybody wants HK! What a strange change! What next? HK romance? HK loves T3 forever! Droid love! On the kotorfanmedia forums there a mention of C-3P0 and HK getting together. It was very funny. Of course, there was also Atton and Disciple mentioned… heehee…

_Resident roach code_ metallica – Thanks for the review. :) The movies of Harry Potter aren't that great, in fact they turned me away from the books, but yeah the books are really good. Less than a week left until the next book! –squeals-

_Greatstar_ – Hope you liked Mission and Griff's reunion. Not a very happy one eh?

_Shadows Run_ – Ah! You've returned! Again! XD Alaanis is Alaanis, and she's a very calm person. Buying an assassin droid is nothing for her. Handling the assassin droid on the other hand…

_Siberian-Tigress_ – Thanks for the review:)

Okay, so, I responded to the reviews, I posted the chapter, I added a disclaimer and credit to Trillian4210 for beta-ing (thanks again!), what else shall I add? I guess I'll say simply that the next chapter _might_ take a little extra time (or I might write it up REALLY quickly… which I doubt). Like a little over a week. Why you ask? Well, first of all I have eight books to read. Three new Star wars books I bought and then the entire Harry Potter series. And I wanna read those before the next book comes out, so I'll be in a reading frenzy for the next week. And then, second of all, I start my summer job on the 18th and that'll be keeping me rather busy. As well as this vocal course I'm taking at a local college.

So the next chapter might take a little time, but it should be longer than the past two have been (this one's around 14 pages) so it's something to look forward to. XD Then there will be the next story break (one I've had written for a very long time… it was in Chasing Answers back when I had that on this site) and then Manaan, the Leviathan, Korriban, the Unknown World, the Star Forge and then –gasp- It'll be over! Never fear, Destiny II will be here!

Again, I thank you all for the reviews. I mean, usually after two months I stop being so dedicated to a fic, but thinking of all the reviews and readers I've got I perk up and keep on writing because I still love writing this! So thanks guys!

And until next time, make sure to hug your ducks multiples times a day, review, breathe and review! Lol… adios folks!

7-10-05


	21. The Hunt

_Disclaimer: As much as I wish it, this stuff does not belong to me. WAH!_

_Pre-Author's Notes: Yes, this took quite some time didn't it? I have excuses! First of all, I was absorbed in reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and secondly I started my job so I have been rather busy lately. However, I did find time now and then to type this up. But yes, I am so sorry it took me so long._

_Million thanks to Trillian4210 for beta-ing again! XD Now, without further ado…_

XxXxX

**Chapter Seventeen: The Hunt**

The next morning found Alaanis Pi trotting purposefully out of the Ebon Hawk and into the raging heat of Tatooine's twin suns. She intended to return to the ship shortly to gather a few crewmates so that they could journey into the Eastern Dune Sea in search of the krayt dragon's lair… and the third Star Map.

But Alaanis wasn't as alone as she had thought she was. Being half-asleep, she hadn't noticed as soft footsteps pattered behind her for a moment. Then she paused and turned around where she saw a bit of sand moving as though two feet were placed upon the ground.

"Mission!" Alaanis hissed.

The teenage Twi'lek looked embarrassed as she turned off her stealth generator to reveal her, dressed and ready for action, staring at the ground.

"You wanted to see Griff didn't you?" Alaanis asked the younger woman.

Mission nodded. "I feel kinda bad for what I said last night. He's my brother, no matter what. Maybe I'll just talk to him, you know, see how he's doing." She didn't look at Alaanis once as she shuffled her feet.

"I'm sorry about kinda judging Griff before I knew him Mission," Alaanis muttered. "I just didn't feel that I could like anybody who'd abandon you."

"He had his reasons!" Mission half shouted.

"I'm sure he did, I'm sorry," Alaanis said hastily. "Alright, you can come with me to the Czerka office and ask to see Griff." Mission gave a partial smile as she followed the jedi out of the Anchorhead hangar and towards the Czerka main office.

Inside the main office, the same woman that had asked Alaanis to hunt down the Sand People in the first place was leaning over the side of a desk where the receptionist was showing her a datapad that the woman obviously was not very happy with. The sour expression on her face was a dead giveaway. The office looked much the same as it had before.

"Welcome back!" exclaimed the Czerka representative as she spotted Alaanis and Mission walking into the room. The sickened expression was replaced with a diplomatic greeting, though Alaanis could tell this woman was rather happy to see the Jedi again. "Have you taken care of the Sand People?"

"In a manner of speaking," Alaanis replied, handing the three gaffi sticks she, Carth and Juhani had used in their disguises to infiltrate the sandpeople territory. "I did not kill them though. I struck a deal with them, and they will not bother you anymore. I also found Griff and I presume he's back?"

The representative's sour look returned for a split second before she composed herself once more. "Yes… Griff has returned. He's working in the supply shop. We keep a close eye on him in case he tries anything. I swear, we were robbed blind when he first started working for us… missing plenty of our food supplies that were on display…"

Mission was glowering at the woman. Alaanis nudged the Twi'lek. Mission took a step backwards and seemed to be counting under her breath to calm her down.

_No… I don't believe this! She's muttering the Jedi Code!_ Alaanis stared incredulously at Mission. The Twi'lek's eyes were closed though so Alaanis couldn't tell if Mission had noticed her staring.

"Yes… well… thank you for your assistance," the Czerka representative continued, obviously ignoring whatever silent exchange was going on between the two strange offworlders. "If you need to see Griff, like I said, he's in the Czerka supply shop next door. Here are a thousand credits for your assistance, believe me, it'll be a big help."

Alaanis nodded her head in gratitude and walked out of the store. Sure it was the jedi way to deny money, but did Czerka really need it? _They have their money, and plus, the crew of the Ebon Hawk is on a mission to save the galaxy! We need money ourselves! We can't buy everything off of Mission's Pazaak cash flow._

"You were muttering the jedi code?" Alaanis questioned Mission as soon as they left the office.

"Juhani told me I should do it to control my temper," Mission answered awkwardly. "She caught me cursing about not being able to fix my blaster and told me that the jedi code helped her calm down, and that reciting anything in a soothing voice would probably calm me down anyways. Especially something pacifist, like the jedi code."

Alaanis continued to stare at Mission. "It's not like I'm a jedi now or a jedi wannabe, I just think it might be smarter to control my temper sometimes. At least that's what Juhani said."

Alaanis couldn't object. Juhani's approach seemed like a good one. Bastila would've probably chided Mission and Alaanis might've calmed her down just for the moment or argued with the Twi'lek, but Juhani took the smart approach it seemed. _I guess Juhani would know the most about tempers with her attack on her master before…_

"Let's go see Griff," Mission said, trying to pretend that Alaanis seemed more surprised than was natural. Nothing seemed to surprise Alaanis really. The only thing Mission could think of that would surprise Alaanis like that was if the Twi'lek had told her that Bastila and Canderous were sharing a bunk.

Mission chuckled to herself at the thought.

As Mission and Alaanis walked into the Czerka supply shop, the first thing that caught their eyes was Griff. He was nervously chuckling as he scratched his head and stuttered. Alaanis could deduce by the mug of caffa in his hand, and the fellow Czerka employee glaring at Griff as the latter shrugged and mumbled, that Griff had tried shoplifting. Again.

"She has the money!" Griff exclaimed loudly, pointing over at Alaanis and Mission. Mission seemed a bit ashamed as Alaanis narrowed her eyes slightly and walked over.

"Yes, I do have the money… for this caffa to be mine," Alaanis grumbled to the other Czerka employee who wrenched the caffa out of Griff's hands and placed it into Alaanis'. Handing him a five credit chip, the jedi turned towards Griff as the other employee wandered away to help another customer.

"Shoplifting, Griff?" the jedi asked as she took a swig of the caffa. Perhaps the warm and delicious substance could keep her from yelling at Griff for being so stupid.

"I don't have any money and I don't get my paycheck until the end of the week!" Griff complained. Alaanis' eyes seemed to narrow more and her frown deepened. Mission was beginning to shake alongside Alaanis.

"You could've asked me for money!" the small blue Twi'lek hissed, obviously to restrain herself from screaming.

"I didn't want to impose on your ship," Griff replied quietly, not quite meeting either Alaanis or Mission's eyes.

Alaanis closed her eyes and sighed sharply as to relax herself a bit. The jedi code was recited twice in her mind before she opened her eyes and saw Griff, almost cowering in fear. She couldn't help but feel a bit of pity towards the Twi'lek.

"You can come knock on our ship if you need anything," Alaanis said kindly. "Mission is your family and Mission is like family to us. So why don't you just ask us if you need anything?"

Griff seemed to be trying to smile, but his fear and guilt were still apparent. _Finally feeling remorse for abandoning your little sister?_ Alaanis hoped inwardly. She gave Griff a small smile accompanied with a nod and he finally managed to return the smile.

He sighed, relaxed, and began speaking. "Great! I've got a plan too since it seems like Czerka's not going to find anything here. Tarisian ale should be in high demand with Taris gone right? Right! And I know the recipe! All I need is a few starters credits and I'll be fine…" he seemed to be twitching his fingers slightly as he continued to smile at Alaanis.

The jedi was almost ready to explode all over him but Mission beat her to it.

"Look, Griff!" Mission yelled out, anger and disappointment written over her face, and the aura Alaanis was feeling from her through the Force. "You're my brother, and I love you, but you have got to stop it with those get-rich-quick schemes! They have never worked! If you want some credits so that you can buy yourself some food, some clothes, maybe a luxury or two or even rent a room, I'll give you some money! If you go off and do something stupid though, like that Tarisian ale idea, then it'll be your fault if it fails! Not mine!

"I'll give you this much advice: Work for a living! You have a job at Czerka that pays! Get the money, build a life, and forget about becoming rich and famous! You can just live a normal life you know! Here," Mission roared, throwing down one hundred credits. "Use these wisely, because you're not getting a single credit more out of me ever again."

And with that Mission stalked out of the room, ignoring the tears burning in her eyes.

"Mission's right Griff; you've got to work for a living," Alaanis shrugged. Her pity for Griff intensified, seeing that hurt expression in his eyes as Mission left him.

"I'll prove her wrong; that I can be a good ale brewer and we'll be rich and I can buy her whatever she wants!" Griff exclaimed.

Alaanis looked at the yellow Twi'lek sadly. "She doesn't want riches Griff, she just wants an honest and hard-working brother. I hope you do the right thing." The jedi hurried out of the supply shop, dropping her now empty caffa mug in the trash outside the supply shop.

Mission was leaning against the wall outside and Alaanis cleared her throat to announce her presence. "I know it hurt Mission, but it was the right thing to do."

The teenage Twi'lek merely nodded, wiping away a few stray tears, and the two walked back to the Ebon Hawk to meet with the rest of the crew. They needed to find that krayt dragon cave and the Star Map. But how would they kill a krayt dragon, even with Jedi in their ranks?

":Offworlder:"

Alaanis and Mission both turned around as a green Twi'lek came hurrying up to them.

":Offworlder, news has spread from Helena Shan that you and her daughter Bastila are planning on hunting a krayt dragon:" the Twi'lek stated, watching as Alaanis nodded. ":It is most unwise to do so without a plan:"

"Who said we didn't have a plan?" Alaanis asked with her head cocked to the side.

":I am sorry, I did not mean to assume, but I thought I could assist you:" the Twi'lek stated simply. ":My name is Fortuna and I am unlike most other hunters in this area who do it for the credits. I do it for the hunt itself. Studying a creature and its ways, how it lives, moves, eats, sleeps, and breathes and then planning on how I can face such a creature and win is my way of life. I have been studying this krayt dragon for a year now, desperate to get the chance to kill it. One other hunting party, around a year ago, died in an attempt, Helena Shan's husband included. He was a good man, much like me in the ways of the hunt.

":Now I offer you my assistance in facing this great beast. You may keep whatever trophy you would like for yourself, but to kill such a creature would take someone who has trained themselves in the ways of said creature: Me.:"

Alaanis studied Fortuna for a moment. She couldn't sense any deception from him. "Alright," she said simply. "What is your plan?"

Fortuna grinned as he held up a pack. ":Explosives:" he told her, not without a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Alright then, do you know the way to the dragon's cave?" Alaanis asked the green Twi'lek.

Fortuna frowned suddenly. ":Unfortunately, my map was stolen from a competing hunter who wished to kill the krayt dragon. He failed in his attempt. This was about one standard month ago. I have been unable to observe the creature since, and I have not memorized the way. Helena Shan stated that her daughter had a map.:"

"We do have a map," Alaanis told him, nodding her head. "We will lead you to the dragon, you will kill it, and we get the prizes?" Fortuna smiled at her and held out a hand.

":Do you accept my help:"

"I suppose we do," Alaanis smirked back, shaking Fortuna's hand.

XxXxX

Back on the Ebon Hawk, most of the crew had begun to awaken. Juhani was meditating in the starboard dormitory, alongside Bastila. T3 was assisting Carth on fixing up the hyperdrive a bit. HK and Canderous were both working on their guns in the hangar and Zaalbar was keeping inventory on the supplies lying around the cargo hold.

Alaanis, Mission and Fortuna arrived back at the Ebon Hawk quickly enough, spotting Jolee, sitting and working lazily on his lightsabers again in the common room. "Who's the new friend?" Jolee asked, pointing at the taller Twi'lek.

"This is Fortuna," Alaanis said, motioning Fortuna to take a seat wherever he wanted. The green Twi'lek sat down on a chair opposite Jolee while Mission plopped down on the couch she and Zaalbar usually shared. She pulled her Pazaak deck out and began shuffling it.

"I'll get everybody else then…" Alaanis muttered as she headed out of the room.

Quickly, she checked every room, telling everyone to get into the common room and soon enough, everyone was sitting or standing around the room.

The organic members of the crew, as well as Fortuna, were scattered around the room in chairs, while HK stood in the corner and T3 was rolling around the room.

"Obviously, we need to get to that krayt dragon as soon as we can… and kill it successfully," Alaanis declared after a moment of quiet. She lifted a hand and flourished it, introducing Fortuna. "This is Fortuna, and he knows how to kill this krayt dragon. Explosively. He said we just need to bring him with us and help and we can keep whatever is in the cave."

Silently, everybody knew she was referring to the Star Map and Bastila's father's holocron.

":There is a bit of a catch:" Fortuna spoke up after a moment. ":To catch the krayt dragon's attention, we will need its favorite food. Banthas. The problem is that the Sand People see the banthas as a sacred species and may attack you if you attempt to use them to lure the krayt dragon out. We won't be hurting the banthas if we can help it, but the sand people won't know that.:"

"How are we supposed to get banthas to follow us?" asked Carth, his brow furrowed a bit.

":Bantha fodder is one thing that attracts banthas:" Fortuna explained. He patted his pack. ":I have a small supply, but it is large enough to catch the attention of banthas.:"

"Ugh… bantha poodoo!" Mission exclaimed.

"It is a long journey into the dune seas, though," said Juhani. Everybody turned towards the Cathar. "Would it not be important to get there as quickly as we can? Perhaps we could rent some speeders for the journey."

"That's a good idea Juhani," Alaanis smiled. "We'll talk to Czerka. I'm sure they'll help us since we helped them." She looked around the room. "So who's going to come?"

"An old man has to stretch his bones now and then," Jolee stated. "I suppose I'll come along for the ride."

Alaanis knew Bastila would want to come, and Alaanis couldn't have stopped her even if she had wanted to. Bastila would want to find her father's holocron, whether or not she would give it to her mother. "I'll be coming," Bastila said firmly. Alaanis nodded understandingly.

"I need rest," Juhani decided. "I would like to accompany you, but I feel there are others more capable." She avoided looking at Alaanis as she said this.

"You are capable Juhani," Alaanis told the younger jedi, looking at her intently. "You give yourself too little credit. But if that is your decision, stay behind with the ship with whoever else stays. Staying here plays a role as well." Juhani nodded lightly, a small smile forming on her lips.

"Any other takers? Carth? Canderous? Mission, I would love to bring you along, but the sand people are pretty damn tough…" Mission waved her hand in dismissal, having heard these things a hundred times from Alaanis, but she still would've liked to come along. Alaanis knew this.

"I guess I'll tag along if you need an extra good aim," Canderous growled, nodding his head lightly in acceptance.

"I'll come too," said Carth plainly.

"Good," declared Alaanis, looking around the room. "Zaalbar, Juhani, Mission, you guys look after the ship and the droids. I guess we'll need two speeders with the six of us. We should leave as soon as we can, probably within one standard hour."

The room mumbled an agreement and Carth and Alaanis ended up leaving to get the speeders.

"I'm not that good at piloting, I'd call the swoop race on Taris a fluke, so I think you and Canderous will probably take a speeder each," Alaanis explained as she and Carth walked off the Ebon Hawk and into Anchorhead. "Fortuna and I can tag along with you and then Bastila and Jolee can go with Canderous."

"Are you just trying to cause our own little civil war?" Carth asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Canderous and Bastila stuck together?"

"Canderous and Bastila aren't that immature, they just rub each other the wrong way. With Jolee on board, I'm sure there'll be less arguing." Alaanis told him. "I'm sorry, but if you and Bastila get stuck together there's going to be a power struggle and we have to have it some way."

"How would there be a power struggle if you're in the speeder?"

"Because I need to be with Fortuna, make sure he knows only what he needs to and to actually deduce what we're doing. Just do as I say, flyboy," Alaanis finally concluded the conversation and Carth shook his head, walking beside her, as they entered the main Czerka building.

The same Czerka representative, looking hassled as usual, was leaning over the main desk, speaking with the man at the desk. She sighed.

"Apparently Griff blew up half the supply store working on some concoction," the Czerka representative announced as Carth and Alaanis approached her. "But since he's a friend if yours he's getting a final chance. We might just ship him off the planet just to get him off my hands. I can't deal with that incompetent oaf any longer." Alaanis simply stared at the representative as she ranted.

"Anyways… there must've been some other reason for you coming in today," the woman said, gained her composure again. "What do you need?"

"To rent two speeders for about…" Alaanis guessed that it'd probably take half the time in a speeder than it would to walk to wherever in the dune seas they were heading. "Three or four standard days."

"Ah… going back into the desert?" the representative said as she checked with the receptionist what the price would add up to. "Four hundred credits," she deduced. Alaanis pulled out the said amount and handed it over to the representative. She went into a backroom and returned with an oily looking human mechanic, holding a rag in one hand and a broken pipe in another.

"This is Miff," the representative told Alaanis and Carth. "He'll bring the speeders by the main gate into the desert. Don't take too long, or else the he'll leave and the speeders may too."

"Alright then," Alaanis said as she and Carth left the building and walked back to the Ebon Hawk.

XxXxX

They had been traveling through the desert since midday. Canderous, Bastila, Fortuna and Jolee met up with Alaanis and Carth by the main gate. Alaanis had her oversized hunter green bag slung over her shoulder as usual. She spared her typical jedi robes (which were much too layered to travel in the hot Tatooine suns for four days) for some light tan armor that almost blended in with the sand.

Bastila was wearing her usual jumpsuit that Mission always commented on, and Canderous wore his light Mandalorian armor as always. Jolee had his typical robes, almost like jedi robes but not exactly, and Carth was wearing his typical orange jacket along with light armor, not too different than the armor Alaanis was currently sporting.

They had split up in their groups and if Bastila or Canderous was displeased neither had shown it. Over the roar of the engines, Alaanis couldn't have told if any disagreements were going on in the other speeder.

Carth, Fortuna and Alaanis' speeder was leading the way, with Alaanis' map as the aid. The conversation was light and flirty between Carth and Alaanis in the speeder while Fortuna observed some of the creatures they were passing by and taking notes in a datapad.

Over in Bastila, Canderous and Jolee's speeder, though, it was rather silent. Most of the time.

Alaanis could tell that there was a couple terse and short conversations, but the atmosphere was different than the one in the speeder Carth was driving.

They didn't dare to stop at sundown in case the sandpeople would attack their speeder, but instead Carth and Canderous stayed awake through the night and drove the speeder nonstop. Both seemed fine, despite their lack of sleep, when Alaanis, Fortuna, Bastila and Jolee awoke.

Sand was all that was seen around them as they traveled through the dune seas, following the paper map Alaanis held in her hands. Night began to fall on the second day when the day's quiet was broken.

":We are very close… I recognize the area:" Fortuna hissed to Alaanis over the noise of the engines. Alaanis peered down at the map and nodded her head in agreement.

"Signal the others to stop," Alaanis told Carth. The pilot nodded and lifted his left-hand blaster up into the air, keeping the other hand steady on the wheel. He waved the blaster in the air while slowing down the speeder and within a few minutes, both speeders had stopped.

":Do you see it:" said Fortuna, pointing a green arm towards the setting suns. In the distance the crew could make out a large cave, which must've been the krayt dragon's lair.

"It's something straight out of a holovid," Alaanis smirked. "The adventurous heroes chasing the dragon."

":Ah but this dragon will die a more honorable death than the fake ones in the holovids:" Fortuna declared. Alaanis heard a roar from behind her, not too far in the distance, and turned around to see a small herd of about five banthas not one hundred meters away.

"I'm guessing those are the banthas we're going to use as targets for the dragon?" Carth asked Fortuna as he too noticed the banthas.

Fortuna nodded. ":Yes, you five will lure the banthas to the cave. I will go, invisible, and plant the mines by the krayt dragon's cave as we decided:" the Twi'lek concluded, receiving a nod and a stealth field generator from Alaanis. He pulled out the bantha fodder from his pack in a small pouch that smelled awful.

Nobody seemed to want to take it from him.

"I'll take it I guess," Jolee grumbled, snatching the bantha fodder. "Kids these days, afraid to get their hands even a bit dirty…"

Fortuna slipped on the stealth field generator and began trucking towards the cave, only bits of sand crunching around where he walked showed that he was even there. Alaanis turned to her companions. "Let's get going then."

Jolee led the group to the bantha herd, holding the fodder pouch in his left hand, his right loosely hanging over his belt where his lightsaber lay. Trailing behind was Alaanis, Carth, Canderous and Bastila, all silent bar the crunch of sand beneath their boots.

All five banthas heads perked up as the scent of bantha fodder approached them, and then began to head away. They followed the smell of their excretion across the large gap between where they were standing before, and where the krayt dragon cave was.

And then suddenly they stopped and a low roar escaped one of the banthas as eight sand people approached.

Jolee pulled out his lightsaber and began slashing it around with one hand, parrying the blows of the gaffi stick held by one sand person. Canderous reared his repeater again and again, blasting away two sandpeople rushing towards him. Bastila engaged a fourth and a fifth in battle, her yellow double-bladed lightsaber nothing more than a flash as it moved so quickly. Carth had his blasters out quickly and shot down a sixth sandperson, and Alaanis' violet sabers were already halfway through one sandperson as she kicked out at the last of the eight attackers.

It was a short battle, despite the fact that they were outnumbered. Soon enough Jolee was leading the banthas towards the krayt dragon cave yet again.

It felt like such a long time, but in all actuality was only around an hour before they arrived at the krayt dragon's cave. They had encountered a few groups of sandpeople along the way but disposed of them in battle without serious injury on their part. Fortuna was now visible and standing behind a small dune near the cave, a detonator in his hands.

":Throw the fodder on the ground:" Fortuna called to Jolee as he and the rest of the party approached. Jolee did as he was told, and then the five companions joined Fortuna behind the dune.

The banthas stood about fifty meters from the opening of the cave. Alaanis could just make out mines along the opening of the cave that Fortuna must've planted.

A large roar erupted through the silence and the banthas perked their heads up towards the cave where a large, horned creature emerged. The krayt dragon was about twenty meters long, including it's large tail. It had thick deep green and violet skin. Pointed horns jutted out of its head and two large yellow eyes were lodged on either side of its snout. It bore its large yellowed teeth and roared again as it began walking slowly on its four horned feet towards the banthas.

Fortuna hit the detonator at that moment and piercing explosions burst through the air and the krayt dragon howled as plasma scorched its flesh over and over again and multiple explosives attacked it. With the noise, the banthas ran off in the opposite direction, away from the noise.

Soon enough the krayt dragon was silent and dead, lying in the midst of a small crater from all the explosions.

":We had a deal and all the contents of the cave are yours:" Fortuna told Alaanis as all six companions re-emerged from behind the dune. ":At least the dragon died an honorable death.:" He nodded towards Bastila. ":And your father has been avenged.:"

Bastila didn't respond to this, but simply avoided looking at anybody as she led the group around the dead dragon and into the cave.

It was dank and dark so Alaanis and Jolee both turned on their lightsabers for some illumination. They trailed through the dark cave and Alaanis felt it quickly. The dark side tainted this cave. It must've been what had drawn the krayt dragon to this place originally. Corpses littered the sides of the cave. Bastila spotted one she recognized.

"This… this is my father's body," she said weakly. Nobody spoke as Bastila approached the dead body and leaned down. It was torn into multiple pieces, bent in a grotesque form, but she reached into the pouch beside the decaying body and pulled out a few items, including her father's holocron.

It was quiet as Bastila stuffed the holocron in a pocket and stood up, her face revealing no emotions as she rejoined the group and began walking further into the cave, igniting her own lightsaber for light.

Alaanis breathed in quietly as she saw the diamond shaped Star Map in the back of the cave. _Just how it was in the dream,_ she thought to herself as she reached towards it and it opened, revealing another map. This time, a third different section was missing. _Three down, two to go._

":An impressive artifact:" Fortuna said, spotting the Star Map. Alaanis turned towards him with pursed lips and he held up two hands and nodded his head. ":I will not spread the word.:"

"Thank you," Alaanis told him, putting away her lightsaber for a moment and pulling out her journal. Jolee provided light for her with his own lightsaber as Alaanis copied the map into her journal. "We should get moving. We shouldn't leave our speeders unattended for too long."

Agreeing silently, a bit weary, all six companions trudged through the darkened Tatooine night back to the speeders.

By the time the reached the speeders, everyone was tired though, and even those who had slept the previous night were feeling in desperate need of rest.

"Maybe we can drive the speeders into the cave so that the sandpeople won't see them," Alaanis suggested. No one felt like protesting, especially since they would like sleep (even though Canderous seemed wide awake). Carth and Canderous directed the speeders back to the krayt dragon's now empty cave. Everyone settled down in the speeders in the dark cave and drifted off to sleep.

Alaanis had a hard time sleeping though. The dark energy of the Star Map shook her slightly every time she tried to relax. She tried meditating, putting up barriers, but nothing seemed to work. She couldn't sleep.

Bastila was facing similar problems of sleeplessness, but it was her father's holocron that made her so. She examined it over and over again in her hands, wondering what her father's thoughts had been, and what he would be saying in his holocron before he died. Bastila wondered if he even suspected he might've died. Finally, curiosity overwhelmed her and she watched the holocron in the dark cave.

Her father's image appeared, glowing faintly and he spoke to Bastila, though no longer living.

"_I am going on this hunt for the krayt dragon many hunters here on Tatooine have been hoping to kill. I will provide the dragon with a honorable death, a battle to his or my doom, and if I win, the pearl of the krayt dragon will be my prize I would offer to Helena. She rejected the zakkeg ear once, years ago, but since has accepted my prizes of battle. I hope that if I die this holocron will find its way back into Helena's hands, and perhaps one day she and Bastila will meet again. If I die and Helena is listening to this, you should find Bastila and show her this as well. I loved you both, my wife and my daughter. This message will persist, even in my death, because you are my two most important beings in the galaxy. Through death or life, my love for you is above anything else. If I survive this hunt, I think this may very well be my last. Helena is right, I shouldn't continue running around the galaxy. We need to settle. I need to settle._"

The image disappeared from in front of Bastila and she shivered lightly as another image of her father took its place.

"_I robbed the krayt dragon of it's pearl and he may very well kill me soon, as soon as he finds me in my hiding place. But if this holocron works its way back into the hands of either Helena, Bastila, or anybody else, I want this pearl, which is in my pouch, to be returned to Bastila. It's supposed to be a strong tool for building a lightsaber. And as a jedi, Bastila will need a good weapon handy. The krayt dragon is approaching…_"

The second message disappeared in light static and Bastila reached into her pocket to pull out the other contents of her father's pouch. She found a perfectly round, cream colored pearl about the diameter of her lightsaber handle. She opened up her lightsaber, where the crystals lie, and worked with it for about an hour, into the night. The krayt dragon pearl perfectly in the weapon's hilt.

And when she ignited it, the low hum and glow of the lightsaber instilled a new vigor in Bastila, knowing that a piece of her family, of her origins was laid in it.

Alaanis heard a voice across the cave, but it wasn't recognizable. Alaanis could tell, from the faint blue light, that it was coming from the other speeder, but Alaanis ignored it, and tossed and turned for hour after hour. She knew that it was awfully late, and the pale light rising from outside the cave proved that the suns were beginning to rise. But the dark energy in the cave surged through her and it frightened her into staying awake.

"Oof!" a voice muttered as Alaanis flipped over again.

"Sorry Carth," she whispered in response, recognizing the exclamation as the result of her kicking Carth's leg on the other side of the speeder.

Carth grunted. "It's okay," he said quietly. "Have you slept at all?"

"No," Alaanis replied, shaking her head in the dim light. "I'm becoming as sleepless as you," she smirked.

"Why?" Carth asked, leaning up against the side of the speeder.

Alaanis shook her head. "Nothing really," she lied. Carth wouldn't get it. It was too Jedi-ish for Carth to really understand. "Just can't sleep."

"Mmkay," Carth mumbled, leaning back down to fall back into his untouched and peaceful slumber.

Alaanis yawned, trying to build up her barriers to the darkness and leaned down again, half landing on Carth's arm now that he had shifted. She tried to think up comforting thoughts to make her fall asleep, despite this persisting dark energy, and remembered that time back in the Hidden Bek base on Taris when Carth gave her the promise of some caffa…

XxXxX

Alaanis had slept through most of the morning and awoke to the loud hum of the speeder as Carth drove it along the Tatooine dune seas. Fortuna was writing in a datapad. The speeder Canderous was driving was not far behind Carth's, still holding Bastila and Jolee as it's passengers.

The journey back to Anchorhead, lasting through another night, was much like the journey deep into the Tatooine deserts to the krayt dragon's cave. The second speeder stayed rather silent while Carth and Alaanis shared occasional banter, but other than that, they spoke little as well.

Once reaching the main gates, Fortuna bid Alaanis' crew farewell and left to go announce that he himself had killed the krayt dragon in the hunter's lodge. At least, that's what Alaanis assumed. Fortuna didn't seem like the bragging sort, but then again, announcing a victory over a krayt dragon probably wasn't very common, and more of a proud accomplishment than a boast.

Alaanis and Carth went back to the Czerka office to announce that they had returned with the speeders, while the others stayed behind to guard the speeders.

But Bastila's mind strayed a bit, back to her father's holocron, and she quickly excused herself. When asked where she was going, she simply told Jolee if Alaanis was so curious, Bastila would be at the cantina. Hopefully her mother would be there.

Indeed luck was on Bastila's side. Or perhaps Bastila would've said the Force was with her, because Helena Shan was indeed sitting at the bar, sipping on a glass of Correlian brandy.

"Drinking mother?" Bastila asked as she slid into the stool next to Helena.

"Since I am dying, I thought I could enjoy some of life's simples pleasures before I leave this galaxy," Helena replied, taking a swig of the glass and emptying it. She turned towards Bastila. "Did you come here for a drink yourself or to see me?"

"I… I found father's holocron," Bastila replied, turning towards her mother. "I listened to it too. I think you should have it mother. I'm sorry I was so angry with you. Since father is dead, I think it is only fair that I get to know my own mother better."

Helena smiled sadly. "I suppose I've been rather stubborn as well. But my dear child, I am dying, and I don't have as much time as I'd have hoped."

Bastila reached into her pockets. "Here are two hundred credits I found in father's pouch and fifty of my own. Travel to Coruscant and I promise to find you there. Get the best medical treatment you can. In fact, I recommend you travel to the Jedi temple there and seek help for your condition. I don't want to lose both my parents before I even get a chance to get reacquainted to one."

"Thank you Bastila," Helena said quietly, pocketing the credits Bastila had handed her, she looked back to her daughter and smiled. "You are certainly something, child." Dropping a credit chip on the table for the bartender, Helena left the cantina and Bastila behind.

"I see you and your mother resolved things," Alaanis said as she sat down in the now vacant seat next to Bastila.

"I think we Shan women can be quite stubborn sometimes," Bastila smiled, turning towards Alaanis. "We just need a little shove to admit when we're wrong."

Alaanis nodded her understanding. "Come on, let's get back to the Hawk."

XxXxX

Canderous, Carth and Jolee had already arrived on the Ebon Hawk by the time Alaanis and Bastila returned to it. In the common room sat Mission and Zaalbar, playing Pazaak as was usual. Everyone was sitting around the common room, waiting to know what they were to do next.

Jolee was arguing with T3 about a medpac the old Jedi was making, HK was standing in a corner, Juhani was flipping through one of the many datapads on board, and Carth and Canderous were both working with their respective guns.

Everybody's heads perked up at seeing Alaanis and Bastila return to the ship and stared as the two took seats around the common room. Alaanis stared back.

"I presume you all are wondering what happened and where we are going next," Alaanis said.

"Well Canderous spelled out what happened with real description when I asked him," declared Mission, setting down her sidedeck. "I think it went something like 'Traveled on speeder to cave. Killed krayt dragon. Got Star Map. Traveled on speeder back to Anchorhead.'"

"That's all the information you need kid. It's a desert, nothing very interesting," growled Canderous.

"It had a Star Map, that means it's something interesting," replied the Twi'lek.

":Tatooine may not always have been a desert:" suggested Zaalbar. ":In fact, it probably wasn't always a desert.:"

Juhani set down her lightsaber and crystal she was installing. "So where are we traveling next? Korriban or Manaan?" Alaanis gave the question a bit of consideration. She really didn't want to go to another barren planet, and especially didn't want to face any Sith right away.

"I'd say Manaan is our next stop," Alaanis announced. "A big change of scenery from this desert planet to a planet covered completely by water certainly seems nice."

"Manaan it is," Bastila nodded. "We should leave as soon as we can. Carth, can you punch in the coordinates now and we'll be into hyperspace by nightfall?"

Carth replied with a simple nod and retreated to the cockpit to prep for launch.

"So we're off to a planet covered in water and walking fish with a love for neutrality?" Jolee grumbled. "Sounds like a home away from home."

Alaanis cocked her head to one side. "Would you prefer to visit a sith academy full of aspiring sith kids?" she asked.

"I'll take Manaan," Mission muttered, winning her game of Pazaak with Zaalbar.

"The first person who beats Mission can get their winnings from me," Alaanis mumbled. "Has anyone ever beaten you Mission?" The Twi'lek shook her head as she started up a new game with the Wookie.

"Nobody," answered Mission.

XxXxX

Yeah. It's kinda short. Only thirteen pages. And it took forever. I am VERY sorry. Like VERY sorry. I didn't mean for this to take so long. I just never found free time anymore since I started my job two weeks ago. But I finally finished it up. YESH! And it may not be the longest thing either, but it's done. And posted. W00t! Again, oodles and oodles of thanks go to Trillian4210 for beta-ing.

So we're finished with Tatooine! Got some Bastila development… and that's about it for special stuff this chapter. Yeah, I kind of just got to the point with this chapter. With Manaan coming up, there's going to be a lot more stuff happening. The Carth/Alaanis romance is totally going to begin it's major blooming, perhaps I may hide in a few more Bastila/Canderous hints (I'm still not sure if I'm going to work with that idea or not…), and of course, more character development! Yay!

Okay, thank you guys so much for reviewing! Time for review responses!

_Lunatic Pandora1_ – I finally jedi-ified all four of my companions in my latest game I finished up a couple days ago. Handmaiden, Mira, Atton and Bao-Dur. I was so proud. XD And yes, HK is quite the hoot is he not?

_Resident roach code metallica _– Sorry that this chapter doesn't have much romance! But don't worry, I have a treat coming up in a couple chapters for all you romance buffs out there! I read the sixth book the day it came out. I cried for the last four chapters straight. I admit it! I couldn't stop crying!

_Greatstar_ – As you saw in this chapter, next up is Manaan. :)

_Romanticess _– I'm really glad you like the fic. XD I feel so honored. Ah… as I said above, you romantic buffs out there will get a nice treat sometime on Manaan, coming up next.

_PhantomMenace _– Thanks! I'm glad you like this fic.

_Saerry Snape_ – I'm still considering the Bastila/Canderous ship idea. The problems is poses for me is the difficulty of writing it out. I mean, I can't rob athenaprime's brilliant interpretation from After The Fall, and other than that I haven't seen a really well written Bastila/Canderous romance! That's my main concern: not writing it right. And yes, long chapters are good. I just have issues lately of spurting out long chapters! As for the chapters with Revan, Malak and the Exile, they're Story Breaks I throw in between planets just for a bit of backstory fun. They're not happening at the moment, just random scenes I place sporadically. Whee!

Again, thanks for the reviews folks!

I should have the next Story Break before we head off to Manaan by the weekend (hopefully). Can you believe this fic is around halfway done? We just have Manaan, the Leviathan, Korriban, the Unknown Planet and the Star Forge left! Ah!

Also: I'm curious as to if you guys would want me to write an alternate ending. I know which ending I'm following but I am contemplating doing an alternate ending for Destiny as well. Just maybe. Feedback is appreciated.

By the way, I have been on a drawing frenzy lately for fanart for kotor. One image I did was sort of the cover picture for Destiny. Since I can't post links, just head over to webshotsdotcom and look up crazymisssarah21 to find around a hundred different drawings I've done. Most aren't too good, but there's a few good ones. XD

Okay, so, I'm dome for now folks! Until the next story break, review, enjoy the summer that is beginning to wane, and review:)

8-2-05


	22. SB4: Broken Jedi

_Disclaimer: NOT. MY. CHARACTERS. But I do take the credit for my twist on the backstory from Lucasarts, Obsidian, and BioWare's kotor games. And my FemExile, Sienna Vaas, I take credit for her name. W00t! But this is all in fun, not being sold for profit. Ha!_

XxXxX

**Story Break Four: Broken Jedi**

Unwounded physically, the young woman laid on the wet and muddy ground, rain pouring down her face, turned upwards towards the sky. She could not go on like this. The battleground was just not her home. But she could not return she would surely be exiled. But following Revan… the Force had told her that following Revan would lead her deeper along this path… too deep to return from.

"Sienna," a voice hissed lightly. The woman named Sienna's eyes jerked open and weakly she sat up and looked into the face of the person speaking.

"Revan…" Sienna whispered. The rain blurred her vision, but she could see the face of the woman she had followed here. Revan's deep green eyes were full of light concern and worry shadowed by something more vicious: hunger and fury. Her deep black hair, flattened by the pouring rain, was blowing slightly despite the wetness in the gust of wind that passed.

"Will you follow us now?" Revan questioned, leaning down on one knee in her black battle armor, her black cape billowing behind her. "We have found something… back on Dantooine. It can lead us to a place of great power, more power than we had ever imagined. You refused Malak… will you refuse me? An old friend?"

Sienna looked into those green eyes. She had seen them before, commanding her generals on what to do in the war, teasing Malak long ago back when they all had been simple Padawans at the Jedi Enclave, inspiring the loyalty of so many people, and now begging her to join.

"I am broken," Sienna admitted. "I cannot feel the Force anymore. It has abandoned me." Her face was streaked with tears that mingled with the rain. This pain of seclusion was different that any pain she had felt slaughtering countless millions in the Mandalorian War.

It was emptiness. The Force which had run so thoroughly through her before was nothing anymore. A blank spot where it once ran through her. All the death, and the pain of all the screaming and dying soldiers and Jedi and Mandalorians had deafened Sienna to the Force. So she had unconsciously cut it from herself, to survive through the immense pain.

"You will be rebuilt," Revan told her plainly. "I have known you for many long years, can you abandon me now? Can you abandon your fellow comrades?"

"I cannot follow you," Sienna muttered. "I have no choice. I am useless. I cannot fight, cannot feel the force, and cannot feel anything but emptiness and pain."

"We can make you feel again Sienna!" Revan exclaimed, standing up. "This thing Malak and I have discovered can fix us all! It can fix the galaxy, the Jedi, the Republic and you yourself!"

Sienna, still pained, stood up and stared Revan in the eye with her own steely blue gaze.

"I am not worth it Revan," she said quietly but with deep conviction.

"You are one of my most loyal comrades!" Revan shouted. "You are certainly worth it. You cannot refuse such an offer twice! The Star Forge holds so much more of the future, it will solve everything!"

"It will change you. Malak too. And everyone who follows you. I have been changed enough Revan."

"You are weak!" Revan shrieked. "You are weak to refuse such power!"

"Maybe I am," Sienna retorted. "But that doesn't matter to me. I just… don't know. I'm not worth it Revan. Go on, go challenge the galaxy with whatever weapons you win, but the will of the Force will influence the galaxy however it wishes it to."

"Words are nothing," Revan hissed. "Have you learned nothing from following us? Sitting back and watching will achieve nothing! Apathy is death! The Mandalorians would have conquered the galaxy if it weren't for us! Do you think the council was wise to sit back and watch?"

"No," Sienna replied quickly. "I just don't think I can do this. The war has touched me too much, broken me. I need to rekindle myself. And war only injures me further."

Revan shook her black mane stubbornly. "Then I shall leave you here. Enjoy your pain. Once we leave, it will be all you have here. Your pain and seclusion. The council will exile you. That's all you will earn from refusing us."

"You may be correct," Sienna shrugged. "But it's better than lifting more pain. The Force is gone from me Revan. I'm not worth anything. And you know what? I don't think I want power."

Revan glared at Sienna with white-hot intensity. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps you're not worth my time. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do, places to go and battles to fight. With my _loyal_ allies." She turned from Sienna.

That last statement burned in Sienna. Revan ignited her lightsaber, smiling at the anger she felt rising in her former ally.

"Yes… rage is a powerful ally is it not?" Revan said, turning back towards Sienna. "Care to battle me? Show how little you are worth? I bet you are nothing but a liar, trying to make excuses for why you cannot follow me. You are probably just afraid."

"I am not lying Revan," Sienna commented, slight anger in her voice. Revan was right. She was afraid. But Revan shouldn't have cared so much. A speeder piled with dead Mandalorian bodies then passed by the pair of women. Pain threatened to overtake Sienna and she stumbled, the pangs of guilt returning.

_You did this… you killed those men and women. You left their children parentless, their parents childrenless and their friends without them. Perhaps you killed all of their friends too. Their children and parents as well. Murderer…_

Sienna screamed with the pain that overtook her as she felt Revan lightsaber tug into her shoulder. She collapsed to the ground, back to the same position she was in before Revan had confronted her.

Revan laughed lightly. "Physical pain plus psychological pain for you makes a happy me. Suffer _exile_… for that is all you will ever be now."

Even without the Force, Sienna felt the darkness radiating off of Revan as she put on a black helmet she would one day always be hiding behind. Revan had fallen to the dark side, that was for sure. The war had changed her. Just as it had changed everyone else.

Revan walked away from Sienna then, expecting her to eventually die in the wilderness of Dxun. Her pain would certainly incapacitate her. That's how Revan's mind worked the situation out. The disloyal would be left behind.

And Sienna was disloyal.

Sienna's mind on the other half, couldn't work its way out of the pain. Except for the same lone thought that would conquer her mind for days to come.

_You are a broken jedi… lost to the universe. You are worthless… and will live as nothing but a broken jedi consumed by her pain forever._

XxXxX

Evil Revan! Muaha! Yes… so here's the fourth story break. It's pretty tied into the fifth one (which will appear just prior to the Leviathan I believe) where a few questions are answered…

Anyways, thanks guys SO much for the reviews. Again, you folks rock! I'm not sure how long it'll be until I get the next chapter up (where we head off to Manaan) but I'm hoping it'll take less time than it did for me to get the last chapter out (-coughs- three weeks –coughs- I'm so ashamed!). My job ends in about a week and a half (I work at my town's park program… it's like a day camp) so I'll have more time on my hands.

Responses to reviews…

_Trillian4210 – Yes, yes, indeed do I have plans… -cackles at a scene she wrote up weeks ago for Manaan…-_

_Saerry Snape –_I'm not abandoning it, but if I do work with the ship, I think I'll work with it mainlyin Destiny II because I've already got to work with Alaanis/Carth and this isn't exactly a romance fic... Thanks for the review! XD

_Greatstar –_ Thanks for another review. :) Alright, I'll consider the alternate ending.

_Siberian-Tigress –_ Thanks for the review. XD

_Lunatic Pandora1 – _You only get Handmaiden if you play as a guy. I was like "OH NO!" when I first played (as a girl) because I thought I was supposed to have Handmaiden! We'll see Bandon soon…

_Romanticess – _Yes… the law-loving Selkath. -shudder-

_Resident roach code metallica –_ Heh, yes I was in tears. :) Crying my eyes out. Oki, I guess since the alternate ending idea seems popular I'll start cooking up an idea…

Again, thanks you guys! And until next time, reviews are, as usual, greatly appreciated, and remember to pet your ducks! Or Revan's Pet Duck (moi) will be after you! ;-)

8-4-05


	23. Neutrality

_Disclaimer: Of course, the characters and the plot aren't mine. Gotta face the sad facts. :(_

_Author's Notes: Manaan always gave me trouble with where everything is, so I'm making it up. Get over it. By the way, extreme apologies for the long wait. The longer apology will be down at the bottom. Again: sorry! XD_

_Much kudos to PhantomMenace for doing the beta-ing!_

XxXxX

**Chapter Eighteen: Neutrality**

The glimmer of the oceans on Manaan was visible even from space. Currently, a portion of the Ebon Hawk crew was observing the planet as it grew closer. Carth Onasi was concentrating on landing the ship safely. Alaanis Pi, Bastila Shan, Juhani, Mission Vao and Zaalbar were admiring the planet's beauty.

"It's certainly much different from the last two planets we've been to," Alaanis commented.

Mission snorted. "Well, it's not covered in kilometer-high trees or seas of sand, if that's what you mean." The Twi'lek was the only one sitting down, leaning back in the co-pilot's chair comfortably.

Leaning over the back of it, Alaanis grinned. "Well, I have no clue how we're going to find a Star Map here."

Bastila shot her an exasperated look. "Well, we did have a vision of it underwater, and considering Revan and Malak found it, I doubt it's too far from civilization." She looked down at the planet again.

"They might've found it by chance," Carth chimed in.

"The Force has guided us thus far," Bastila explained with a shrug. "I doubt it will abandon us now. We're more than halfway through the journey. We've found three of the Star Maps."

"We're not even sure what we'll learn when we put all the maps together," Juhani pointed out in a soft purr. The Cathar shifted slightly under the sudden gaze of the other Jedi in the cockpit. "Well, we are unsure what the results will be. Though it is doubtful these will make a difference, the Force is guiding us." Bastila and Alaanis both nodded fairly.

"We've nothing else to count on," Bastila replied, ending the discussion.

Mission cocked her head to one side in the sudden silence. "It's a really pretty planet though."

About an hour later found the crew gathered in the main hold to hear Alaanis speak once again about how they would need to gather information on where the Star Map would be located. "We need to restock on fuel while we're here," Alaanis noted with a nudge from T3-M4. "And, as usual, we'll need some more supplies."

The crew nodded their consent and began filing off the ship. "These Selkath know their laws," Canderous Ordo noted grizzly. "I suggest we don't screw up and get locked away."

"I think that's a given," Carth added, trying but failing to hide the annoyance at being advised by a Mandalorian.

Alaanis knew the group was an odd one, a bunch of misfits. She wasn't surprised by the looks of some of the mechanics to see four Jedi, a Republic pilot, a Mandalorian, a Twi'lek and a wookiee exiting a ship. T3 and HK-47 were staying behind to keep track of the ship and guard it. Not long after exiting the hangar, the group was stopped by the sight of two officers in each other's enemy armor.

Alaanis tensed at the sight, almost expecting a fight to break out any second. It was practically possible to cut the tension in the air with a vibroblade. A Republic officer was wearing a death glare along with his uniform while less than a meter away stood a Sith officer. Biased as it may have been, Alaanis could practically see the menacing smirk beneath the helmet.

"I dare you to try and touch me," the Sith was saying. "The Selkath will be swarming all over you in an instant." He laughed at the Republic officer's look and walked away.

"And people say the Sith don't have manners!" Jolee exclaimed quietly and sarcastically.

The Republic officer turned and almost ran right into Bastila near the front of the group. "Oh I'm sorry miss," he said apologetically.

"It's quite alright," Bastila replied calmly. "I had heard about the neutrality of the Selkath on Manaan, but I do not know such details." She looked sympathetically to the officer. "Could you share the situation with us?"

"It's simple enough," the Republic officer said, shaking his head lightly. "The Selkath have both a Republic Embassy and a Sith Embassy on Manaan. And they imposed laws against fights of any kind. We could get fined, lose our kolto supplies, or even get executed if one of us starts a fight with the other."

"Kolto?" Mission asked curiously. "The kolto comes from Manaan?"

"Yeah," Canderous grunted. "I thought it was common knowledge that kolto only comes from Manaan." Mission shrugged.

"That's why it's so tense on this planet," Alaanis muttered. "Why I didn't want to come here first. I had heard the rumors too, but wasn't positive. There were rumors of all sorts on the Endar Spire. Many things that were outrageous as well as logical."

"Joryl was already thrown in jail last week for spitting on one of the Sith's uniforms. Not like they didn't deserve it," the officer continued bitterly, "But there are security cameras everywhere and the Selkath love their laws. We do anything wrong, it's not pretty."

Bastila nodded her head lightly. "Thank you for sharing this information with us," she gave a small smile and the Republic officer began walking in a different direction before Alaanis stopped him.

"Do you know of any suspicious artifacts on the bottom of the oceans on Manaan?" Alaanis asked the officer. _Revan and Malak were once with the Republic,_ Alaanis reasoned with Bastila mentally. _Perhaps the Republic here knows something about the Star Map._

"Uh… I'm just a street soldier ma'am, I don't know those sorts of things," the Republic officer replied with scrunched up eyebrows. "What are you, a historian or archeologist?"

"Something along those lines," Alaanis smirked, pulling her outer robe gather around her tighter to cover her lightsabers more fully.

"You can ask Roland Wann, the Republic representative for the Republic Embassy here on Manaan about it," the officer said with a shrug. "He'll probably have more information on whatever it is you're looking for. It's marked on a map the Selkath will give you when you enter the city."

Juhani, who was also near the front of the group, bowed her head respectfully. "Thank you officer," she purred. The officer seemed to notice the strangeness of the group approaching him before he shook his head and with a nod of acknowledgement and left the area.

"Well, if that's just a taste of what is going on inside Ahto City, I'm not sure it's going to be as easy as planned," Carth muttered.

Shrugging, Alaanis started moving again, and with her the group followed. "Well, we have to try. I guess we'll go see that Republic representative and see what he knows."

Entrance into Ahto City was not very difficult. A Selkath at the entrance gave them a "short" lecture on a few important laws, along with a pamphlet including a few more of the laws, and on the last page, a few advertisements for the local swoop track, the cantina, and a few shops. All eight companions walked into the city and were immediately met with a salty sting from the ocean.

"It looks even more impressive in person!" Mission exclaimed. When Carth gave her a look, she shrugged. "Taris isn't exactly flowing with oceans, if you didn't notice, so I've never seen one before. Well, outside of holovids that is." Like a little child visiting a strange new place, Mission walked over to the nearby railing and leaned over it, looking out at the vibrant blue depths.

The rest of the group followed her, if not to keep track of her, then to stay away from the crowds. Manaan might not have been the most perfect vacation spot in the galaxy, but it had its business. Merchants probably came to help throw fuel on the flame between the Sith and the Republic, playing both sides and winning credits in return.

"Well, we don't all need to visit the Embassy," Alaanis broke through the silence. "I think Carth and Bastila should come, both having affiliations with the Republic, but if anyone else wants to tag along, they can."

"We're all just tagging along on this whole mission aren't we?" Mission piped up.

"More or less," Alaanis said reasonably. "But I doubt we'd be able to achieve very much with just the three of us." The group grew silent again. The noise of the midday crowds behind them seemed further away.

"Well, what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

Bastila answered before Alaanis could. "I'm sure someone could buy any supplies we needed."

"Well, if those are the options, this old man is going to see what those Republic types are up to," Jolee decided. Juhani nodded, following Jolee's example. "I believe I should come along as well." Alaanis nodded. "I suppose that leaves Canderous, Mission and Zaalbar. You guys wouldn't mind doing the boring work of picking up any extra supplies would you?"

"And perhaps you could get the mechanics back in the hangar to fill the Hawk up with some fuel," Carth added in.

Mission shrugged, seemingly not caring very much, and Canderous made similar movements. Zaalbar was the one who made an actual reply. ":Of course Alaanis Pi, we'll do what we can to help.:" Alaanis smiled gratefully, before opening the pamphlet the Selkath had given them. At the start of it, before any laws were printed, was a small map which divided Ahto City into four sectors. They were currently in East Central Ahto City.

Alaanis pulled out her journal and quickly made a copy of the map before tossing the pamphlet to Mission, along with a hundred credit chip. "I know you've got some of your own, but just in case they're not enough. Comm us if you need anything, and try not to cause any trouble."

"I'm surprised the Selkath are even letting in outsiders," Canderous commented. "They seem so keen to shelter their kolto, but they let people wage silent war against each other in the middle of their planet."

"Well, the Selkath are a strange species," Jolee muttered. Bastila shot him a look that the old man ignored.

The groups split. Mission, Canderous and Zaalbar headed towards East Ahto City for a supply shop while Alaanis, Bastila, Carth, Jolee and Juhani headed towards West Ahto City where the Republic Embassy was located. On their way, Alaanis noted numerous Selkath lecturing Republic and Sith patrols alike. They even passed by the courthouse; they could hear the accusing shouts of the Sith and Republic officers inside from outside the doors, along with a few Selkath trying to quiet them.

"Neutrality seems harder on the Selkath than actually picking a side," Carth murmured. "Is it that difficult to figure that the Sith are evil?"

"The Sith are deceptive," Juhani pointed out. "The Selkath can't tell which side is right and which is wrong."

"They're both wrong," Jolee grumbled, assuredly. He gained a few looks from his companions. "The Sith may be 'evil', but the Republic doesn't exactly have a clean record either. They're not perfect either."

Their discussion continued, Bastila and Alaanis joining in at times, but it gained only the perspectives of each other. After about fifteen minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the Republic Embassy. Nobody stopped them as they walked in, though a few officers shot them odd looks. It seemed that packs of Jedi with Republic pilots didn't show up everyday.

Standing behind a desk in the center of a rather large room was a disgruntled looking man, examining a datapad another man had just handed to him. This man was in Republic attire, bald with no hair, and dark skin. He seemed rather chunky, but wizened, as if he had been through enough havoc to last him for multiple lifetimes.

_Well, considering he's stationed on Manaan of all places, I'm not very surprised he seems so aggravated,_ Alaanis thought inwardly.

"Hello, Roland Wann?" Bastila asked the man politely.

The man looked up and nodded his head, forcing a business-like smile onto his face. "I am Roland Wann… what may I do for you today?" He had a look in his eyes that told them if they were bringing him trouble, they should leave immediately.

Alaanis smiled at the man. "One of your patrols told us to face you with our questions," she explained. Wann nodded, waiting for her to ask said questions. "We were wondering if you had encountered any… strange artifacts on the ocean surface."

Wann tensed. Less observant sentients may not have noticed it, but it was quite clear to the group of five that Roland Wann had something to hide.

"No, I'm sorry, but I believe if you have questions such as those, you should direct them at the Selkath in the area, as they are the ones who control the ocean's surface," Wann answered in a simple voice.

Jolee examined the Republic ambassador. "And you think the Selkath would answer our questions?" he scoffed.

Ignoring Jolee's comment, Bastila cut in, "We are with the Republic, ambassador." She gave a small motion to Carth and Alaanis and herself. "Please, we will not do anything to damage the Republic, especially in a time such as this when the Republic is faltering and needs all the help it can get." Wann's tension seemed to subside slightly and his eyes darted from side to side quickly before returning to normal.

"Come," he said, ushering them to follow him into a back room. "We shall discuss this in private."

Alaanis smiled to herself, glad that they were getting somewhere, whether it would be a dead end or not. She and the other four followed Wann into a small room, empty of Republic officers, but covered wall to wall in computers and security monitors. Wann sat down in one of the chairs lining the walls and pointed his guests to a row of seats by an opposite wall.

"Some of the Selkath are less near-sighted than they seem," Wann began. "Some have realized that by war's end, if the Sith win, their neutrality is not going to last very long. So, a few of the Selkath officials have secretly been helping the Republic."

"How do you mean?" Alaanis cut in. In the mind, she was thinking the worst, such as unfair courts or secret Sith murders, but Wann seemed to understand what she was thinking and shook her head.

"Nothing life-endangering, in fact, quite the opposite," Wann continued. "They have a kolto reef specifically for the Republic; the Sith are not given any of the kolto from that reef. It seems like a small thing, but I am certain that it is making quite a difference with more medical supplies. However, recently, the base down by the reef was cut off. We sent investigation teams down there, including many mercenaries we've hired, and none have reported back."

"Then do you know if there's something down there or not?" Juhani asked.

Wann sighed and shook his head. "I've no clue what's going on down there. We sent a droid down recently, about three days ago, and it returned just yesterday, but the Sith robbed it from us and now they'll learn all about the reef and the Selkath not in on the plan will surely cut off our kolto supply."

"That's certainly not a good thing," Carth mumbled.

Alaanis perked up suddenly. "Is there anyway of getting the droid back?"

Carth and Bastila gave her looks that clearly told her she was crazy, but Wann looked thoughtful for a moment. "We've actually been trying to do such things since the droid was reported missing yesterday. We've got a Sith in captivity, if you would like to take a venture at interrogating him, perhaps try and get a code to get into the Sith base with. We have plenty of uniforms and identification cards, but we're sure there has to be a code to actually enter the Sith embassy."

Smirking, Alaanis stood up. "I'm sure we can do something."

Bastila and Carth both shot glances at Alaanis, wondering what she was thinking, but Jolee seemed to understand where her mind was going. "Do you have any sort of projects beginning to discover the codes? I'm sure before this little missy came into your office you were also thinking of getting your droid back," the old man stated. "We're simply your errand runners. And once we come back with the droid… we'll know if you know what we're looking for."

Wann seemed to consider the proposition for a moment. "Alright…" he said slowly, "that sounds fair. In fact we have had a few ideas of what to use to find out the codes. A few of our technicians have been trying to slice into the Sith computers, but the memory banks are encrypted and we can't break the code." Wann looked up at Alaanis and she shook her head. She didn't understand much about computers besides the simple art of slicing a computer to do simple tasks.

"We also have captured a Sith soldier and we've been interrogating him since last night when we found him trying to sneak into our embassy," Wann continued. "He had a partner, but the partner got away." Alaanis looked over at Bastila, Carth and then at Jolee and nodded to Wann.

"I think we can get something out of the soldier," determined Alaanis, a wicked smile on her face that frightened both Wann and Bastila a little bit. But it wasn't intended to be as wicked as it turned out to be, Alaanis was simply trying to appear determined and confident. She caught a glimpse of what she looked like off the mirrors hanging on the walls around the embassy and blinked once or twice. Had she really looked that frightening? But a second glance showed her the same cocky grin she usually sported and the deep black hair that ran almost down to her shoulders, blonde at the tips. She really needed to cut her hair, it was much too long.

"Excellent," Wann stated after a few moments of silence while Alaanis had been examining herself. Bastila had also been examining Alaanis and exchanged a look with Jolee. They were the only two members of the Ebon Hawk crew who knew Alaanis for who she truly was and this common knowledge made them both worry, though Bastila worried more, if not only because Alaanis was her responsibility. "Shall I take you to see the prisoner?" Carth muttered an affirmative when none of the Jedi replied and Wann walked over to a door that led to a long hall full of doors and the Jedi and Carth followed him, Alaanis cringing once more at her long hair before following.

But before she tagged along with Jolee, Bastila, Carth and Wann, Alaanis turned to Juhani, so quiet, Alaanis had almost forgotten she was there. Alaanis sent Juhani to go alert the others of why they may be a while and to accompany them. Manaan was a quiet world, but already Alaanis could tell all the fighting here, oh there was plenty, was all quiet and stealthy. After Juhani left, Alaanis jogged to catch up to the rest of the group.

The hallway was made of durasteel like most of the base and the doors were all coded, needing clearance to enter them. They walked down the hall in silence for a couple minutes before they reached a door almost all the way at the end of the hallway. Wann took a sharp left and turned them into the room which he opened with a simple manual code. Inside the room was a cage containing a tired and lean looking man in Sith uniform, the helmet removed. Standing next to the cage was a just as tired looking Republic officer.

"Sergeant Politz, you can sit down and take a rest now if you like while these four take a stab at the interrogation," Wann announced to the tired looking man. Politz shot Wann a grateful look before collapsing back onto a chair in the far corner. "I'll leave you four to do your magic. Just have Politz comm me if you figure anything out." Alaanis gave him a nod and Wann left the room.

Politz had his eyes closed and for a moment Alaanis thought he might've been asleep. "Erm," she said, taking a tentative step towards the still officer.

"I'm still awake, ma'am," he stated in a rather bored tone, surprising Alaanis a bit and making her jump just slightly. "I haven't been able to get much out of this guy. However, the computer panel next to him lets you instill him with truth serum, which will loosen him up a bit, perhaps have him release more information. Also, you got yourself a switch to stick him with something that will wipe his mind from the past few minutes and he'll forget ever rejecting your questioning. I hope you're more persuasive than I am."

Alaanis gave a look at the Sith and curled her lip slightly in disgust at the haughty and arrogant stature the caged man still held. "I hope I am too," she said quietly before pushing a button on the control panel standing next to the force cage which erased the Sith's memory.

"Who are you?" grunted the Sith.

"My name is Alaanis," Alaanis said, starting to question the man with a rather gentle toned voice. If at all possible, she was going to get information by being nice. _He's a Sith, it's not going to work,_ she told herself. But still… she was going to try. "What's yours?"

"Raynel," the Sith said after a moment's pause. He didn't think it was too dangerous to reveal just a tidbit of information at least. _Unless he's lying…_

And as much as it went against Alaanis' reasoning that though Jedi have so much more power than regular humans and most aliens they shouldn't use their powers often, she found herself reading into the Sith's mind. He was telling the truth. His name was Raynel Toll. And he had a wife and a daughter of only five years.

Alaanis was disgusted that a Sith could have a family. _Just like those sick Mandalorians…_

Where had that come from? Alaanis hadn't cared about the Mandalorian Wars. In fact, they had been good for the smuggling business when she entered into it late in the wars. She simply shook her hair, reminding her once again that she needed to cut it (it was like a dirty black mop in her opinion), and turned back to Raynel.

_Perhaps a touch of the Force… but not enough to be detectable…_ "So do you have a family Raynel?" The Sith shook his head and Alaanis felt disappointed. She didn't want to reveal she was Jedi, not unless necessary, because perhaps if Raynel was trained against the Force she had better not alert him to her use of the Force and not let him know that he needed to put up any shields.

"I think you're lying to me, Raynel," Alaanis stated, pacing slightly in front of the cage, not taking her eyes off the ragged officer inside. "You have a wife, don't you? Have any kids?"

Raynel shook his head and glared down at Alaanis. He had heavy bags under his eyes, but he stood upright which told Alaanis plainly that he had been in the service of the Sith long enough to know that he'd better not betray them. _Damn. That makes this tough._

Alaanis tried multiple different tactics. She didn't want to threaten Raynel, but all she got from him was a wad of spit shot right into the force field surrounding his cage and that he finally admitted he had a wife. Alaanis tried mentioning his partner but Raynel only grinned maliciously saying that his partner was probably shot for being back without him. She had frowned at this, sure it wasn't true.

After a while, Bastila and Jolee both in turn gave it a try and both had the same results as Alaanis. They used the truth serum on Raynel multiple times, but it never did any good. They had to wipe his memory (which was actually simply an overdose of the serum) many more times.

About three hours later, Politz was fast asleep in his chair and Alaanis was slouched against a wall while Carth leaned against the door casually, Bastila sat in a second chair and Jolee paced in front of the force cage.

Alaanis watched Raynel seem to fall asleep on his feet and an idea was panted in her head. She stood up and tapped Jolee on the shoulder, asking him to step aside. "I've got a plan," she said quietly, her morale back up as she looked up at Raynel. "You look awfully tired, what would happen if you fell asleep in there?"

Raynel laughed at her. "I'd find a comfortable position on the floor."

"What if you moved in your sleep? Just a bit and touched the force field?" Alaanis raised a finger close to the charged cage. Raynel smiled wider. "It only causes mild electrical burns, not too severe. I'd survive." Alaanis grinned even wider than Raynel was smirking. She ambled over to the control panel.

"But what if…" she wiped a hand over the panel and found what she was looking for. "What if I increased the charge of the cage so that if you even touched it you would die in an instant? That room and board we offered you sounding better now Raynel?" She didn't see it as well as everyone else in the room, but at this instant, a malicious smile came over her face that made Bastila almost shriek.

It was Revan. Bastila looked into Alaanis' blue eyes and they seemed to flash green and then red at that instant, reminding her of the spark that flew in Revan's eyes when she had spoke in front of the High Council, years before, declaring her intentions for the Mandalorian Wars. The spark that flew in her eyes when she gave midnight speeches to curious Knights and Padawans about the Wars. It was the same Revan that had slaughtered so many, been traitor to the Jedi and the Republic, and Bastila was frightened at that instant, and a piercing sensation shot through her heart. She exchanged another glance with Jolee and he looked a little disturbed himself at how vicious Alaanis was acting. This wasn't like her good natured self.

Carth noticed it too, but he did not understand the same way Bastila and Jolee did and thought that it was all Alaanis. That she knew what she was doing… and she meant to do it. And that startled the pilot a bit as well.

Raynel looked downright terrified as Alaanis hovered by the control panel. Politz gave an extra loud snore at that moment and fell backwards in his chair, waking him up. Normally, this would have been a comical moment if not for the high tension in the air at that moment.

"I'll… give you the code. Just don't kill me!" Alaanis smiled, her eyes back to their typical blue and perky nature, and backed away from the cage. "Give it the Politz over there," she instructed Raynel, with a jerk of her thumb, and walked over to Bastila, Jolee and Carth. Jolee and Bastila had silently agreed not to mention that had happened, but Carth had not consented nor known.

"That was a little harsh Alaanis," Carth told her plainly.

Alaanis shrugged. "I didn't want to do it… but I couldn't find another way. We had been trying for hours and no persuasion seemed to work. Only threats work on the real Sith, and this one's been a Sith for ages it seems." Carth was still looking at her funny but Alaanis shrugged it off. She had no clue why he was acting this way, he knew she wasn't normally like this.

But she had not seen her face contort when she had threatened Raynel.

Politz commed Roland Wann and he arrived back in the room about ten minutes later, a pair of guards with him. Raynel gave Politz the code, who handed it straight to Wann, and then Politz and the other two guards led Raynel away, presumably to the promised room and board.

"We can't let him wander free and alert the Sith of our plans, he probably guessed by now, especially now that he knows parts of our base, we've been moving him all over really," Wann reasoned, wiping his bald head nervously, a little frightened to not have Raynel behind a force field any longer. "But anyways…" Wann took a glance at his chrometer. "I'm not sure if you want to infiltrate the Sith embassy tonight, but I don't think we'll have everything together immediately. Tomorrow morning sounds more promising for you to venture into the embassy. You will come back here in the morning and we'll be ready to send you on your way."

Alaanis felt slightly disappointed that they couldn't get this ordeal done in one day, but she did understand. As Wann led them back into the main area, she saw through a few windows that Manaan's sun was already rather low in the sky and she remembered that the rest of the crew hadn't heard from the group all during the interrogation and her stomach grumbled at that instant.

Pulling out the commlink from her inner robe pocket, Alaanis commed Juhani, Canderous, Mission and Zaalbar. The group said that they were back on the Ebon Hawk, but had only been there for about twenty minutes. Juhani was the one speaking to Alaanis and her voice sounded rather tense.

"Did you guys get the supplies we needed?" Alaanis asked.

"Yes," Juhani muttered. She definitely sounded angry and rather frustrated. "And a little bit extra."

"Is something wrong Juhani?" Alaanis finally questioned the Cathar. The channel was silent for a few moments while Alaanis came up with wild theories about what was wrong with Juhani before Juhani answered her.

"I had told you that I was liberated by the Jedi… just before I was sold as a slave, correct?" Alaanis nodded before she realized Juhani couldn't see her and instead simply replied with an affirmative. "The one who wanted to purchase me is on this planet. And he goaded me. I kept my anger, but if I see him again, I am not sure if I will be able to contain it again."

Alaanis stayed silent and ignored Bastila, Carth and Jolee's eyes on her. "We can talk more, if you wish Juhani. Right now, gather up the others and remind T3 to keep tight security on the Ebon Hawk. Meet us at the cantina in East Central Ahto City." The comm ended and Alaanis turned back towards Jolee, Bastila and Carth.

"I suppose we're getting a bite to eat," she told them, smiling, and hoping that none would ask about Juhani. She wasn't entirely sure the Cathar wanted everyone to know everything about her tragic childhood.

XxXxX

The eight companions spent a total of about four hours in the cantina and it was nearing midnight when they decided to leave. After having a rather well-made meal, Mission found her way over to some of the other casual Pazaak players, accompanied by Zaalbar (who scared the wits out of the Twi'lek's competition) and Canderous actually ran into a few fellow Mandalorians he ended up in deep conversation with. Bastila had been dragged into conversation with a few seemingly frightened looking Selkath. Eventually, at one point, only Juhani and Alaanis remained at their table in the corner.

"He was also a brash, ill-mannered man," Juhani stated suddenly once they were alone. Her voice was full of spite through its gentle tones and Alaanis frowned. It wasn't good for Juhani, who had not too long ago felt so close to the dark side.

_That wasn't the real dark side…_

What do _you_ know about the dark side Alaanis?

"What's his name?" Alaanis asked kindly.

"Xor," spat Juhani. Her yellow eyes were glaring at her caffa mug and in the dimming light of Manaan's almost-set sun her face looked as ferocious as an angered Wookiee's. "He's one of those slimes of the galaxy, the typical nobility on Taris. They all like their fancy drinks and making fun of the aliens." Juhani turned her face up to look at Alaanis. "'Why not have a public display?' he probably thought, and so he tried to buy me. A small Cathar, young, he probably hoped I'd strengthen up enough to carry his drunken body around whatever building he lived in."

Alaanis wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to comfort Juhani, but what could she offer? Alaanis was human, not an alien, and she didn't understand quite the same way. "Did he make you angry?" she asked quietly.

Juhani scoffed. "Of course he made me angry!" she hissed. "I was ready to pull out my lightsaber on the spot and show him who was stronger." She was breathing heavily now and steam would not have been out of place pouring from her pointed ears, but none came.

"But how would you have been stronger if you had killed him?" questioned Alaanis, finding a tactic to approach this situation with. "Sure, you have the ability to kill him, but aren't you stronger in the long run if you have the power to walk away?"

Juhani had turned away from Alaanis at that point and their conversation had ceased. The evening dredged on and an all Bith band played in the cantina. Most of the crew enjoyed this night, as it was rather pleasurable, spending time on a rather nice planet instead of in the tenseness of Kashyyyk or the humidity of Tatooine or on the cramped space of the Ebon Hawk.

By the time they headed back to the Ebon Hawk, everyone was rather sleepy and Alaanis herself fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

But morning came all too soon, at least in Alaanis' opinion, and when she arrived in the cargo hold she saw Mission nursing a sore head. The older woman frowned as she sat down beside Mission. "Did you get into alcohol again last night Mission?" The Twi'lek nodded, blinking at the bright light. "Force, Mission, is that against a law here? For a kid your age to drink? You know the Selkath are strict about their laws…"

"I didn't break any laws!" Mission grumbled, closing her eyes and pulling a pillow over her face. "It's illegal for anyone under seventeen to buy alcohol, but I didn't buy any. I just had some from other people's. Zaalbar wouldn't buy me any."

"With good reason," Alaanis muttered. "Hold on, I'll get you something for that, alright?" Mission nodded. "And I thought after the swoop race on Taris you'd be sick of alcohol." Alaanis tensed suddenly, afraid she had said something wrong. _Frack, nice work bringing up Taris._

But Mission seemed to understand what was running through Alaanis' mind. "It's okay," the Twi'lek told her. "You don't have to avoid mentioning Taris around me." Alaanis shot Mission a smile before continuing to the med bay.

It was almost midday by the time Bastila, Carth, Jolee, Juhani and Alaanis had met up in the main hold. "I personally don't feel like chopping up every Sith in that embassy and raising the alarm. Questions will be asked and we'll get in trouble, the Republic might as well. So… maybe we should try to do this as stealthily as possible," Alaanis suggested.

"That's seems sound for the most part," Bastila commented with a nod. She had been awfully quiet since they had left the Republic embassy, which rather surprised Alaanis… not that she didn't mind the lack of warnings, but the silence seemed a bit odd. Almost like Bastila was shutting down her end of the bond between them.

"Then who do you think is the stealthiest to infiltrate that place?" Jolee asked, quirking an eyebrow in question.

Alaanis observed the group of them. "Bastila, Juhani and I should be able to get it done quickly enough," she stated tonelessly. "I'm sure we'll be quick as lightning."

"Let's just hope you don't cause a big mess," Carth mumbled under his breath.

Alaanis smirked at him and cocked her head to the side. "Don't you trust me flyboy?" With a small laugh she picked up her oversized bag and dug through it until she pulled out a fair amount of medpacs she quickly stuffed in her robe pockets. Carth shot her a look and her smirk widened. "I don't think we'll need these, but better safe than sorry, right?"

"Better alive than dead," Jolee said fairly, looking through the schematics of the Sith embassy one of the Republic officers had given him on their exit from the Republic embassy. "You'll probably go in the back entrance since the front is guarded and you only have a clearance code. That's closer to the room it appears they have the droid in, ready to dissect."

"Alright, sounds good," replied Alaanis, snatching the schematics for her, Bastila and Juhani to have a look. "We'll comm you if we have any trouble or need some backup."

XxXxX

It was rather easy on Manaan to infiltrate a base. The Republic embassy had been wide open for them to enter, but the Sith embassy at least had walls and a security system. Alaanis, Bastila and Juhani still found it rather easy to get inside from the codes Raynel had given the Republic. With a touch of the Force (perhaps more than a touch) the receptionist had no clue that the three women were in the base and it didn't take them long to find the Republic's stolen droid.

There was defense around the droid, of course, but somehow the Force was with them (or luck, depending on who you'd ask) and the Jedi managed to get the droid's memory core and get out of the embassy without triggering any sort of alarms. They were on their way back to the Republic embassy by the time that the receptionist realized that the three Sith officers she had let into the base in a daze hadn't been Sith at all.

Roland Wann was highly grateful when Bastila handed over the droid's memory core. "I'll have our people start looking into this immediately," he told them, his nervous face showing a wide and gracious smile. "Just come back tomorrow and we'll see where we've gotten."

The three Jedi bowed respectfully and exited the Republic premises, heading back towards the Ebon Hawk. However, the walk back wasn't as peaceful as they had expected it to be.

Once in the hangar bay, a rude voice began calling out after them, clearly drunk and looking for a women to get laid with. A couple other voices joined the jeers, and after Alaanis began distinguishing everything she had heard, she understood that they were also insulting the 'wretched alien' traveling with the two human females.

As Alaanis finally bothered to turn around and face the men (she quickly counted five of them) she took one look at Juhani and could easily guess who the leader of the group was. "Xor?" she asked the Cathar quietly. Juhani had tensed up noticeably and gave a small affirmative jerk of the head, not daring to turn around and face Xor and his pack of hungry animals.

"Baby, I know you wanna come home with me tonight, one of you I know does, but hopefully that alien with you will come with me, she'd add nicely to my collection, despite her horrid alien features," Xor shouted, still walking whereas Juhani, Alaanis and Bastila had frozen. Bastila didn't know all Alaanis and Juhani did about the situation, but she clearly saw Xor as a pig.

"Why are you following us, besides to look for something you won't get?" Bastila demanded in cool tones.

"Miss, as much as my friends here would enjoy you and your other human friend here's company, I'm more interested in buying that alien from you," Xor stated. He was clearly the most sober out of his pack, not slurring at all as he spoke.

Alaanis gave Xor a disgusted look and shot a calming glance at Juhani. "She's not for sale."

"Oh come on, miss, I'm sure there's some price my rather large wallet holds that catches your eye for your slave here. I'm sure it'd be a good bargain." Xor opened his mouth and tried to smile, but it turned out as more of a sneer.

"I think you misunderstood me, she's not my slave. She's a friend, a companion," Alaanis said, her voice dripping with how much she disliked this man already.

Xor's sneer widened. "I think you misunderstood me then, because I'm not giving up. This here alien was supposed to be mine, but kinds like yourselves, you Jedi," he eyed the lightsaber at Alaanis' belt with dislike, "took this fine business opportunity away from me."

"Well then you will simply have to accept that, Xor," Juhani growled, her voice thick with anger and hatred.

Alaanis turned to Juhani, but the Cathar shook her head. "Let us go and leave this man to his inevitable sad state." Alaanis felt like beaming at the younger woman, but didn't have time to before she noticed out of the corner of her eye Xor pulling out a vibroblade. Almost immediately following, Bastila's lightsaber met the vibroblade and the shock of the strike knocked it from his hand.

"I would back down if I were you," she warned him. Xor looked frightened for a moment, but only for a moment before his face contorted in rage. "I don't need a stinkin' vibroblade to take what is rightfully mine!" He stretched his fingers forward like claws and came very close to Juhani before she put him in a stasis.

When the Cathar spoke, her tone was satisfying calm and collected. "I am not yours, or anybody's. I belong to myself and to the Jedi Code, nobody else, especially not a filthy being like yourself Xor. I do not wish to waste time killing you, for I am stronger than that." And with that she turned away and continued her walk back towards the Ebon Hawk.

Once Bastila released Xor from his stasis, Juhani had already exited the hangar hallway, and so Xor called his companions and they left. "Not worth it anymore," Alaanis heard him mutter.

"What was that about?" Bastila asked Alaanis as they headed back to the Ebon Hawk as well.

"It's Juhani's way of proving she is strong enough to be a Jedi, facing her past and walking away from it a better person," said Alaanis, a proud smile on her lips. She felt Bastila gaze at her awkwardly for a moment and shot the younger woman a questioning look. But Bastila did not return the look with any sign of acknowledgement and simply walked past Alaanis and up the loading ramp.

XxXxX

Can I say again how completely and utterly sorry I am this took so long? I didn't mean for it to take four months, but it did! But at least its finally up! It's up! Just two more chapters of Manaan, one chapter of The Leviathan, Story Break Number Five, three chapters of Korriban, and then a few more chapters, including another Story Break, for Rakata and the Star Forge. And then an Epilogue. But, either way, not too much longer, we're definitely at least halfway through this fic. I'm hoping to get it done within the next year (hopefully, I'm not counting on anything yet) but anyways, if you're waiting for updates and they're taking too long, you can always hop on over to my two other KotOR fics: Once He's Dead (a fic about a LSF Exile when Atton dies on Malachor V) or Her Journey (title subject to change, its about Mira!). Again, I am horribly sorry it took so long!

Also, a new thing since I've updated this fic, now for review responses, go to my author page and click on my homepage. That's my new livejournal completely for my fics. It has updates on progress on my fics, sometimes new story ideas, sometimes cookies, and review responses for all of my fics. Anyways, again, I am SO sorry, but hey! I hit around 13 pages this time, a decent length chapter, don'tcha think? Sorry if it seemed I skimped on the action, I didn't want to drag the chapter on too long.

Anyways, until next time (which hopefully won't be TOO long, but we'll see), review, accept my apologies, review, have a Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Solstice, New Year or whatever holiday it is you celebrate, and review! Thanks for all the reviews, responses are on my homepage!

12-20-05


End file.
